Homeland Security Removing All Advisory Committee Members, Acting Director Says 👉 Updatem News

The memo was released as President Donald Trump has signaled he would fire a number of federal officials.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is removing all members of its various advisory committees, according to a memo issued by acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman.

Huffman wrote on Monday that the move is being made “in alignment with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) commitment to eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that DHS activities prioritize our national security.”

“Future committee activities will be focused solely on advancing our critical mission to protect the homeland and support DHS’s strategic priorities,” the memo said.

“To outgoing advisory board members, you are welcome to reapply, thank you for your service.”

The agency has multiple advisory committees, including multiple that give advice to federal government officials on a range of issues, including cybersecurity, emergencies, communications, and more.

Based on Huffman’s memo, it was not immediately clear how many committees would be preserved by Trump’s administration. It’s also not clear if Trump will name any new individuals to serve on the DHS advisory panels. Other details were not provided.

Aside from the DHS advisory dismissals, Trump also announced on early Tuesday that he terminated four presidential appointees in various organizations, according to a statement he issued on Truth Social. Trump said he removed retired Gen. Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council, and celebrity chef José Andrés from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.

“Our first day in the White House is not over yet! My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again,” he wrote slightly past midnight before announcing the names of those terminated.

He wrote later that his message should “serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon.”

According to social media posts, Andres and Bottoms both released statements on Tuesday saying they had already resigned.

Huffman said in a memo on Tuesday that he dismissed the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is overseen by DHS. Adm. Linda Fagan was relieved “of her duties as Commandant of the United States Coast Guard,” Huffman said, adding that she “served a long and illustrious career.”

“I thank her for her service to our nation,” he said.

According to a memo released by former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in 2021, the Biden administration removed all 32 members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).

“I am considering how the HSAC can bring the greatest value to the Department and how the expertise, judgment, and counsel of its members can be harnessed most effectively to advance the Department’s mission,” Mayorkas said at the time. “I expect to work closely with the HSAC and to rely on its Members to help guide the Department through a period of change.” He thanked the members of the council for their service.

Notably, Trump’s current border czar Tom Homan, a former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director, was among those removed under Mayorkas’s directive.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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