Job Cuts Coming to DHS as Employees Offered Resignation Options
The Department of Homeland Security has been largely spared from initial cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That’s about to change.
The agency is now looking to cut staff, and is dangling buyouts and early retirement as a way to trim its workforce.
In an email to DHS employees with the subject line, “Reshaping the DHS Workforce,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told staffers they have three options if they want to voluntarily exit their position: deferred resignation, early retirement, or an immediate buyout, which could be worth up to $25,000, depending on years of service.
Staffers have until Monday, April 14, to decide whether to apply for the offer. Most resignations are expected to be complete by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2025.
“By offering these options, we intend to provide flexibility for employees who may be considering a change, retirement or new career opportunities while also supporting the Department's operational readiness," stated Secretary Noem.
Individual components of DHS will give further guidance to employees, as some may not be eligible due to being “mission critical frontline workforce.” In fact, the Secretary said that law enforcement personnel will generally be exempt from the buyout offer.
Agencies Hit
The cuts are otherwise expected to hit DHS components like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as non-law enforcement components of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Also on the docket: cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which could ax nearly one-third of its workforce, or 1,300 employees. In addition to job cuts, the agency is reportedly ending all threat hunting contracts with the private sector.
Lawmakers in both parties expressed concerns over the move.
Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), chair of the House Homeland Security Committee's cyber subcommittee, said he’s “not thrilled.”
And the cuts come after General Timothy Haugh was removed as commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency (NSA) last week, following a White House meeting between President Trump and his advisors with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, who took credit for the firings.
“These firings of senior personnel like General Haugh and cyber personnel cuts at CISA, NSA and elsewhere are actually harming national security on a daily basis — this goes well beyond ‘disruption’ and is actually causing ‘destabilization,’” Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Cybersecurity Dive.