Noem fires two dozen FEMA employees over alleged cybersecurity gaps
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a hearing with the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Capitol Hill on May 20.
By Gabe Cohen, CNN
(CNN) — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has fired two dozen Federal Emergency Management Agency IT employees, including top leaders, for allegedly neglecting security protocols and compromising sensitive data.
A DHS press release Friday claims a routine cybersecurity review uncovered major vulnerabilities that allowed a “threat actor” to breach FEMA’s network. While the breach was detected before any sensitive data was extracted, an investigation found that security lapses enabled the intrusion, the release states.
CNN has reached out to DHS, which oversees FEMA, for more details.
Noem criticized FEMA’s IT leadership, calling their actions “incompetence” and accusing them of downplaying the breach and obstructing DHS efforts to resolve it.
“These deep-state individuals were more interested in covering up their failures than in protecting the Homeland and American citizens’ personal data, so I terminated them immediately,” Noem said in a statement.
The firings quickly sent shockwaves through FEMA on Friday, with some longtime officials describing the ousted leaders as “extremely competent” and “highly respected.”
Noem and DHS officials have clashed with FEMA leadership for months as the Trump administration overhauls the disaster relief agency
DHS alleges the group resisted fixes, avoided inspections and lied to officials about the extent of the cyber vulnerabilities. Failures cited included a lack of multi-factor authentication, use of prohibited protocols, and failure to address known security gaps.
The public firings mirror similar actions taken by Noem and DHS in February. After Elon Musk tweeted that FEMA staff had illegally distributed federal funds to New York City to house migrants, Noem terminated four workers – including the agency’s highly respected chief financial officer – saying the group had “effectively laundered” the funds and lied to leadership.
A CNN investigation revealed a different story: FEMA staff had repeatedly sought legal guidance and believed they were following the administration’s orders.
DHS has also administered polygraph tests to more than a dozen high-ranking FEMA officials – including its former Trump-appointed acting chief – in a hunt for media leaks.
The-CNN-Wire
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