Dems want answers on national security risks posed by hiring freeze, DOGE probes – Source: go.theregister.com

Updated Elected officials are demanding answers as to whether the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are hamstringing US national security.

In a pair of letters sent to Charles Ezell, Office of Personnel Management acting director, and Susie Wiles, Trump’s chief of staff, Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security (CHS) and Democratic Senators from the Select Committee on Intelligence have sought clarity on DOGE‘s activities and whether the federal workforce hiring freeze and buyout offer includes cybersecurity professionals.

Using an executive order, President Trump triggered a federal employee hiring freeze on his first day in office that, while including an exception for “national security” positions, did not define what those positions were.

“Related guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Office of Management and Budget similarly failed to clarify how agency heads should implement this exemption,” the CHS Dems’ letter [PDF] notes. As of February 2, the letter adds, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) doesn’t have a single open position posted on the government’s USAJOBS website, suggesting the freeze is at the very least affecting CISA’s ability to fill infosec roles.

“A hiring freeze that precludes federal agencies from filling cybersecurity positions risks the security of federal networks and may prevent sector risk management agencies from fulfilling their obligations to help defend critical infrastructure,” the letter continues.

DOGE inspectors already have gained access to classified materials, including intelligence reports … sensitive government payment systems … and federal personnel data

The CHS Democrats also mentioned the struggle the US government has had in recruiting and retaining cybersecurity professionals, pointing to Biden-era programs designed to fill the cybersecurity gap.

“Reckless attacks on federal workers risk reversing recent progress in addressing the federal government’s cyber workforce shortage,” the letter states.

The CHS Democrats also complained that the OPM-offered buyout of federal employees would further exacerbate the cybersecurity talent shortage, asking Ezell to specifically tell them how many cybersecurity professionals had chosen to take the severance deal and where they worked. Like the hiring freeze executive order, the “fork in the road” paid resignation offer included an exception for those in national security positions, but neglected to define what that meant.

The letter gives Ezell until February 19 to answer the CHS Dems’ questions. We’ve reached out to the OPM and the CHS, the latter of which told us it didn’t expect to receive an answer so quickly. The OPM hasn’t responded to questions.

DOGE demands intensify

The Democratic half of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has also made its displeasure with the Trump administration known, sending a letter to Wiles demanding answers on several aspects of Musk’s DOGE team and whether it’s endangering US national security and the privacy of American citizens.

“We write to express our grave concern with the illegal actions currently being undertaken by the Department of Government Efficiency,” the Senators, led by committee vice chairman Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), state in the missive. “DOGE inspectors already have gained access to classified materials, including intelligence reports … sensitive government payment systems, including for Social Security and Medicare … and federal personnel data.”

“As of today the scope of DOGE’s access only seems to be expanding,” the letter continues, adding that despite its growing grip on the federal bureaucracy, Congress hasn’t been told who has been hired, how their regulatory authority has been granted, nor how the group “is vetting and monitoring its staff and representatives before providing them seemingly unfettered access to classified materials and Americans’ personal information.”

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The letter states that government employees are typically only allowed to see the information DOGE has been accessing after “a rigorous background investigation,” and even then access is only granted on a need-to-know basis.

“Circumventing these requirements creates enormous counterintelligence and security risks,” the Senators’s letter continues. Those counterintelligence threats and security risks are likely only exacerbated by reports that DOGE chief Musk wanted to hire a Turkish-born venture capitalist and ally who isn’t a US citizen to join the team gutting federal agencies. While Trump’s advisors reportedly denied Musk’s request, the fact it was made at all indicates DOGE might not be vetting employees based on US cybersecurity standards.

The American people, and our intelligence officials, deserve to know that their information is being appropriately safeguarded

Additionally, the Senators expressed concern that the DOGE team was ignoring cybersecurity requirements for accessing federal networks by, among other things, reportedly connecting personal devices to sensitive government networks.

“Such unregulated practices with our government’s most sensitive networks render Americans’ personal and financial information, and our classified national secrets, vulnerable to ransomware and cyber-attacks by criminals and foreign adversaries,” the letter states.

“The Executive Branch cannot operate without regard to rules, regulations, or Congressional oversight,” the Senators conclude. “The American people, and our intelligence officials, deserve to know that their information is being appropriately safeguarded.”

Senator Warner’s team told The Register that, “unsurprisingly,” it hadn’t heard from the White House since sending the letter – but it had better, his office added.

“The Senator certainly expects the White House to provide the requested information, consistent with [the] Committee’s oversight obligations,” Warner’s communications team said.

As with the letter sent yesterday by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform – which demanded answers about an OPM email server set up after Trump’s inauguration that allegedly violated federal law – the Senate Democrats have set a February 14 deadline.

The White House hasn’t responded to questions. ®

Updated to add at 2200 UTC

NPR reports CISA staff have received a last-minute offer to take the OPM’s “fork in the road” severance if they wish.

“Team CISA, I am writing to provide an update that CISA employees may participate in the deferred resignation program,” reads an email sent internally at the cybersecurity agency.

At this time, CISA employees may participate in the deferred resignation program

Staff aren’t being given much time to accept. As with the rest of the federal government employees who’ve been given the option to quit, CISA employees reportedly offered the buyout have until midnight, February 6, to accept.

We asked the agency to confirm the report, and it told El Reg: “At this time, CISA employees may participate in the deferred resignation program … CISA remains committed to ensuring the continuity of our mission while supporting our workforce through this process.”

Since the offer was extended to federal employees, there’s no way to tell whether those accepting the buyout will actually be paid. Congress hasn’t appropriated funds to pay employees who choose to resign.

Several federal employee unions have sued to block the offer, saying it violated federal law; a judge today paused the deadline, making it unclear if or when the fork in the road will actually hit.