Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Committee Democrats, announced they sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem inquiring about her recent termination of hundreds of DHS probationary employees, including those who had received strong performance reviews and military veterans.
DHS fired more than 400 probationary employees across the Department on February 14. According to public reports, DHS officials fired more than 200 employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency; over 130 at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; nearly 50 at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; and 10 employees at DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate. Six days later, the Department confirmed it had also terminated 243 Transportation Security Administration employees.
“Unfortunately, the Agency finds that you are not fit for continued employment because your ability, knowledge and skills do not fit the Agency’s current needs, and your performance has not been adequate to justify further employment at the Agency,” read dismissal notices sent to DHS employees (with one obtained by CBS News). This was despite numerous reports that the terminated employees’ recent reviews showed strong performance review ratings for the past year.
An excerpt from the Committee’s letter states: “Without a fully staffed Department, the United States is less equipped to respond to natural disasters, harden our networks, and secure our transportation systems. Firing homeland security professionals en masse across DHS at a time when the Nation is facing acute threats from cyber criminals, deadly natural disasters, and aviation vulnerabilities undermines the Department’s mission. The supposed financial savings from these firings represent investments Congress has made to protect our national security, which the Administration has no constitutional authority to undo.”
The Committee stated in its letter that “It is imperative that the Department be transparent and share its rationale for the mass firings beyond false claims of poor performance,” and presented a list of nine requests to Noem for more information to be submitted by March 10. This included copies of guidance provided to DHS regarding the termination process, statistics, and copies of all dismissed employees’ most recent performance reviews.