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Chairman Mark E. Green
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<br /> 2024 hurricane season and the 2025 hurricane season is just two months away. Now is not the
<br /> time for the administration to weaken—much less dismantle—the only Federal entity charged
<br /> with helping people before, during, and after disasters.
<br /> Secretary Noem's announcement follows the Trump administration's recent actions to weaken
<br /> the Nation's emergency management infrastructure, eroding its capacity and effectiveness. Amid
<br /> understaffing at FEMA, the administration has fired experienced Agency personnel, with more
<br /> staff expected to leave under Elon Musk's deferred resignation scheme.' Under Secretary Noem,
<br /> FEMA also continues to withhold grant funding for terrorism prevention and response, disaster
<br /> relief, and cybersecurity from our communities. Grant programs that this Committee has
<br /> championed for years in a bipartisan manner to keep our communities strong and support first
<br /> responders are now under attack. For example, FEMA is withholding congressionally
<br /> appropriated funding to churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship specifically designed
<br /> for helping at-risk organizations prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism. This is
<br /> unacceptable.
<br /> Regarding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), we are aware the
<br /> Agency eliminated at least 130 probationary employees before being forced by court order to
<br /> reinstate them.6 Terminated employees were responsible for programs related to urgent emerging
<br /> threats and risks, including the Cyber Safety Review Board's investigation into Salt Typhoon,
<br /> software supply chain security, and programs aimed at securing operational technology. We are
<br /> also aware that the administration has cancelled a number of CISA contracts, including those
<br /> supporting "Red Team" operations,' and that it has cut $10 million from the Multi-State
<br /> Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which provides critical cybersecurity support to State
<br /> and local governments.' The administration has dismantled or disbanded critical public-private
<br /> collaboration structures, including the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council' and
<br /> the CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee,10 that ensure the government and private sector
<br /> 4 Gabe Cohen, `We're Not Preparing':As Trump Officials Vow to Eliminate FE/VL4, theAgency isAlready in
<br /> Turmoil, CNN(Mar. 26,2025),https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/26/politics/fema-payments-staffing-stalled-turmoil/
<br /> index.html.
<br /> 'Brianna Sacks,Hannah Natanson and Ruby Mellen,FEMA Is Losing Scores of Employees. What Does That Mean
<br /> for Disaster Recovery?,WASH.POST(Feb. 18,2025),
<br /> https://www.wasliingtonpo st.com/climate-enviromnent/2025/02/18/fema-layoffs-disaster-response/.
<br /> 'Nicole Sganga,Fired CISA Probationary Employees to be ReinstatedAfter U.S.Judge's Order Last Week, CBS
<br /> NEWS (Mar. 17,2025),https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fired-cisa-probationary-employees-reinstated/. Some
<br /> publications estimate that CISA has lost as many as 300 or 400 staffers,or about 10 percent of its workforce.Eric
<br /> Geller, People Are Scared':Inside CISA asItReels From Trump''Purge, WIRED (Mar. 13,2025),
<br /> https://www.wired.com/story/inside-cisa-under-trump/.
<br /> 'Matt Seldon, CISA Clarifies Red Team Status Amid Contract Termination Reports,HSToDAY(Mar.24,2025),
<br /> https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/cybersecurity/cisa-clarifies-red-team-status-amid-contract-termination-
<br /> reports/.
<br /> 'Matt Nelson, CISA Cuts$IOM in ISAC Funding&I00s of Employees,DARK READEVG(Mar. 14,2025),
<br /> https://www.darkreading.com/remote-workforce/cisa-cuts-isac-funding-employees.
<br /> 'Tim Starks, Trade Groups Worry Information Sharing Will Worsen Without Critical Infrastructure Panel, CISA
<br /> Law Renewal, CYBERscooP(Mar. 11,2025),https:Hcyberscoop.com/cyber-information-sharing-critical-
<br /> infrastructure-panel-cisa-law-renewal/.
<br /> 10 Ravi Lakshamanan, Trump Terminates DHSAdvisory Committee Memberships, Disrupting Cybersecurity Review,
<br /> THE HACKER NEws (Jan.23,2025),https://thchackemews.com/2025/01/trump-terminates-dhs-advisory-
<br /> committee.html.
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