Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Friday that she had fired FEMA’s top IT officials—including the Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer—after what she called “massive cybersecurity failures” that put U.S. networks at risk.
In total, two dozen FEMA employees were dismissed following a DHS review that revealed a threat actor had infiltrated FEMA’s systems. Even worse, Noem said entrenched FEMA staff re-enabled the hacker’s credentials after DHS tried to cut them off.
“FEMA’s career IT leadership failed on every level. Their incompetence put the American people at risk,” Noem declared.
Chinese State Hackers Suspected
While DHS has not confirmed whether the breach was foreign in origin, Microsoft recently reported that Chinese state-linked hackers have been actively targeting U.S. government networks, including SharePoint servers used by FEMA and the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees America’s nuclear arsenal.
A Deep-State Cover-Up?
DHS officials revealed that FEMA’s IT staff “lied to officials about the scope and scale” of vulnerabilities, avoided inspections, and ignored multi-factor authentication requirements. Noem accused the team of protecting themselves instead of protecting American citizens.
“These deep-state individuals were more interested in covering up their failures than securing America,” Noem said. “That’s why I terminated them immediately.”
Political Fallout
The firings come on the heels of a turbulent month at FEMA. Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton was dismissed after clashing with Noem and contradicting Trump administration plans to possibly dissolve FEMA and transfer emergency management duties to the states.
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, had defended FEMA’s recent record and even criticized past administrations. His exit signals a dramatic overhaul of the agency under President Trump’s DHS.
FEMA’s press office confirmed his departure, naming David Richardson as the new senior official performing the duties of FEMA Administrator.
Billions at Stake
Despite spending nearly $500 million on IT and cybersecurity in fiscal year 2025, FEMA left Americans exposed to dangerous cyber intrusions. The scandal has reignited calls for accountability and stronger oversight of federal agencies entrusted with national security.
With DHS cracking down and Kristi Noem leading the charge, FEMA’s future—and the debate over federal vs. state control of disaster response—has entered a volatile new chapter.
