Ranking Member Thompson Introduces Resolution on DHS Impact from DOGE and Trump’s Hiring Freeze
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, introduced a Resolution of Inquiry directing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to provide the Committee documents related to the impact of President Trump’s Federal hiring freeze on the cyber workforce as well as any of the security policies related to providing DOGE – including Elon Musk and his minions – access to DHS information systems and data.
“Only two weeks since taking office, President Trump has apparently allowed his co-president Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, to have unfettered access into Federal networks and is accessing Americans’ sensitive personal data. While the Administration has told us nothing about what he is doing with our data, we need to make sure the DHS – with its broad national security mission, over 240,000 Federal employees, and $100 billion total budget – has policies in place that will insulate it when DOGE inevitably comes for it,” said Ranking Member Thompson.
“We also must know how DHS is handling Trump’s hiring freeze. Days after it was announced, we still don’t know if DHS is exempting its critical cybersecurity workforce from the hiring freeze. As we speak, the Trump hiring freeze is delaying the onboarding and recruitment of top cyber talent. It makes our country less secure – and a sitting duck to bad actors.”
“The information we are requesting is necessary to our oversight obligations and to determine if there will be an impact on our nation’s safety and security. Democrats will not stand by idly while the Trump-Musk Administration rips off the American people.”
BACKGROUND: A Resolution of Inquiry is a legislative tool that has privileged parliamentary status, meaning it can be brought to the floor for immediate consideration if the relevant Committee has not reported it within 14 legislative days, even if the Majority has not scheduled it for a vote. Once introduced, the Committee must schedule a markup in that period to consider and debate the measure and vote on whether to report it to the house favorably or unfavorably. If the Committee fails to act, it can be called up on the House floor and voted upon by the full House of Representatives.
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