In a bold move echoing the timeless Christian values of stewardship and accountability, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday terminated 24 career IT employees at FEMA for gross incompetence and what she characterized as “deep‑state” obstructionism.
This decisive action followed the discovery of massive cybersecurity failures that exposed FEMA’s systems, putting national security at risk—though, mercifully, no American citizens were harmed.
From a Christian conservative standpoint, Noem’s commitment to protecting the homeland and stewarding resources responsibly exemplifies righteous leadership. The Bible calls us to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17) and to be faithful servants of the public trust. When federal employees neglect basic protocols—by failing to enforce multi‑factor authentication, misleading leadership, and re‑enabling compromised credentials—the result is a betrayal of the very people they are called to serve.
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In her statement, Secretary Noem excoriated the ousted staff, saying, “FEMA’s career IT leadership failed on every level. Their incompetence put the American people at risk.” She went further, stating that entrenched bureaucrats downplayed the severity of the cyber breach and actively obstructed corrective action. These individuals, she argued, prioritized cover‑ups over safeguarding the homeland, and their removal was both necessary and overdue.
FEMA’s Information Technology (IT) team failed to implement proper security procedures and put the American people at risk
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that she is firing two dozen members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) IT department after it was discovered that they brazenly neglected basic security protocols
Fortunately, this problem was caught before any American citizens were directly impacted. Despite this failure and neglect, no sensitive data was extracted from any DHS networks.
FEMA Chief Information Officer (CIO) Charles Armstrong, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Gregory Edwards, and 22 other FEMA IT employees directly responsible were immediately terminated.
“FEMA’s career IT leadership failed on every level. Their incompetence put the American people at risk,” said Secretary Noem. “When DHS stepped in to fix the problem, entrenched bureaucrats worked to prevent us from solving the problem and downplayed just how bad this breach was. 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. The American people deserve results from their government”
This vulnerability was only discovered because Secretary Noem ordered a review of all of FEMA’s operations and IT systems.
While conducting a routine cybersecurity review, the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) discovered significant security vulnerabilities that gave a threat actor access to FEMA’s network. The investigation uncovered several severe lapses in security that allowed the threat actor to breach FEMA’s network and threaten the entire Department and the nation as a whole.
The entrenched bureaucrats who led FEMA’s IT team for decades resisted any efforts to fix the problem. Instead, they avoided scheduled inspections and lied to officials about the scope and scale of the cyber vulnerabilities.
Failures included: an agency-wide lack of multi-factor authentication, use of prohibited legacy protocols, failing to fix known and critical vulnerabilities, and inadequate operational visibility.
FEMA spent nearly half a billion dollars on IT and cybersecurity measures in Fiscal Year 2025 alone and delivered virtually nothing for the American people. Despite burning hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, FEMA’s IT leadership still neglected its basic duties and exposed the entire Department to cyberattacks.
“This unacceptable behavior will not be tolerated in the Trump administration,” added Secretary Noem
This swift response to a cyber threat is especially significant considering FEMA’s recent tumults. Earlier in the summer, over 180 current and former FEMA employees signed an open letter warning that the agency’s leadership under the Trump administration, including Secretary Noem, was undermining disaster preparedness—putting the nation at risk of a Katrina‑level catastrophe. Signatories pointed to slashed programs, micromanagement, and politically motivated reassignments that sapped FEMA’s effectiveness.
One particularly troubling instance involved the July 2025 Central Texas floods, where FEMA’s response was noticeably delayed. A policy requiring Noem’s personal sign‑off for spending over $100,000—which, in practice, is mere pennies in the scope of disaster response—stalled the deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams for more than 72 hours. Emergency call centers were understaffed, and many disaster survivors couldn’t reach FEMA for help.This underscores that leadership must be both decisive and flexible to act swiftly in times of crisis.
Yet, even amid criticism, Noem’s firing of the incompetent IT cadre reflects a refusal to accept malpractice, even when it wears a federal badge. Christian ethics compel us to speak truth to power and purge evil wherever it may hide. In Proverbs, wisdom calls us to discipline those who stray and correct with love—not enabled by corruption or indifference but with righteous firmness.
Critics—especially on the political left—have seized on these developments. Representative Bennie Thompson (D‑MS) lambasted Noem, claiming her micromanagement slowed FEMA’s flood response and accusing her of “completely incompetent” leadership.
From a Christian conservative lens, such critique may stem less from concern for disaster victims and more from political opportunism. Yet even valid criticism should spur further improvement, not merely partisan finger‑pointing.
Meanwhile, the DHS Review Council, co‑led by Noem, continues to pursue reforms to shift disaster readiness toward states and communities—a conservative preference. It advocates block grants and local preparedness, even while critics argue the agency’s reduced capacity may undermine long‑term response.
In considering all of this, let us reflect on Psalm 82:3: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” Public servants must be accountable not only in name but in action. Noem’s dismissals, while harsh, align with a Christian responsibility to protect the vulnerable by removing willful neglecters from positions of trust. She acted as a guardian of the people’s safety.
Still, Christians must always pray for humility in leadership and for wisdom to follow the Good Shepherd’s example—serving faithfully without pride, acting with grace, not vengeance. If Noem’s firings motivate a renewal of disciplined, transparent governance at FEMA, they can stand as the start of a reform grounded in virtue, courage, and faithfulness.
Summary Points
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Noem fired 24 FEMA IT staff over serious cybersecurity failures and obstruction—no Americans harmed.AOL+5Reuters+5Washington Examiner+5
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Prior failures: staff previously warned that leadership reforms compromised disaster readiness and delayed response in Texas floods.Reuters+15The Washington Post+15The Daily Beast+15
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Conservative Christian lens: leadership requires accountability and firm action to protect the public—and this move reflects such stewardship.