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Checked against the record · North Carolina 1st District 2026

Was Laurie Buckhout Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy?

Matches stated direction. Her May 2025 testimony says deputy assistant secretary performing the assistant secretary's duties while a nominee awaited confirmation, rather than acting. Her end date is unestablished.

Laurie Buckhout

Her Pentagon cyber policy post

Matches stated direction

What they say

Her campaign says she served in the Trump administration as Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy.

“She also served in the Trump administration in a senior role, shaping U.S. cyber policy as Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy”

What the record shows ·

Her May 16, 2025 testimony to the House Armed Services Committee is filed under the title "Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy". In it she says she serves as the deputy assistant secretary and performs the duties of the assistant secretary, and that the President has nominated Katherine Sutton for that job.

Limit: The record says "performing the duties of", not "acting"; federal vacancy rules treat these as different designations. The campaign uses the department's newer name, Department of War. The day her stand-in role ended is not in a record the desk could check.

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  1. Abouthttps://www.lauriebuckhoutforcongress.com/about

    Laurie Buckhout for Congress · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Her biography and the claims about her own record: Army service, her defense business, and her Pentagon cyber post.

    candidate statement

    For: Was Laurie Buckhout Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy?

  2. Statement of Ms. Laurie Buckhout, Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, May 16, 2025 (document)

    House Armed Services Committee · Published May 16, 2025 · Reviewed Oct 1, 2026

    Her written testimony to the Cyber, IT and Innovation subcommittee. She says she serves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy and performs the duties of the Assistant Secretary, and that the President had nominated Katherine Sutton for that post. PDF dated May 13, 2025.

    official office record

    For: Was Laurie Buckhout Acting Assistant Secretary of War for Cyber Policy?