Kristi Noem Looks to Fire Homeland Workers ‘Who Don’t Like Us’

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is seeking advice on “how to fire people who don’t like us” as she moves to overhaul a workforce that she complained “hasn’t been required to do much.”

Noem criticized her employees Wednesday during a public meeting with advisers, highlighting the increasingly strained relationship the secretary has with many of the Department of Homeland Security’s roughly 250,000 workers.

The secretary’s remarks kicked off the first meeting of the Homeland Security Advisory Council since President Donald Trump took office in January, setting an aggressive tone for the independent advisers group that will make recommendations for overhauling the department. The group is stocked with Trump allies, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski, and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R).

Noem told the members she spends much of her time “surrounded by bureaucrats” and wants the council’s advice on how to craft homeland security policies that will keep the country secure 20 years from now.

Part of that effort for Noem includes rooting out DHS employees who she said “don’t support what we’re doing.” She argued that much of the workforce “hasn’t been required to do much” under past leadership during President Joe Biden’s administration. Noem has been open about her mistrust of the workforce, even using polygraphs to root out potential leakers.

Noem Directs Polygraph Use to Target Homeland Security Leaks

Noem is working to downsize or eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has slashed several other parts of DHS, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. She’s also working to reorganize the Coast Guard.

Homeland Security Axes Hundreds in Trump Federal Workforce Cuts

She touted the Trump administration as a new era, noting high recruitment in DHS’s law enforcement components, including Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Secret Service, as well as the Coast Guard.

“Things are turning around. It shows that if people are allowed to do their jobs, they take an oath and they’re wanting to be involved in what we’re doing here,” Noem said.

Noem also called on the advisory group to give her creative recommendations for using departmental authorities that “have never been utilized before,” though she didn’t provide specifics.