Kara Voorhies, an outside contractor and adviser to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) installed by then-Secretary Kristi Noem and her adviser Corey Lewandowski, gained significant influence over the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) over the past year, steering the agency's spending and day-to-day operations. She was hired as a consultant and adviser for DHS, where she often influenced key decisions such as policy changes, awarding contracts, approving budgets, and overseeing operations. Federal regulations prohibit contractors from making decisions that bind the government on core agency work, such as personnel decisions, but VoorHies often made crucial decisions for FEMA. She also played a significant role in the department’s efforts to scrutinize spending at FEMA, which has a multibillion-dollar budget, as DHS delayed funds, slashed emergency preparedness grants and restricted agency operations. After Noem was removed, the administration terminated Voorheries as a special envoy for a new security initiative after seizing Voorhiies' government-issued equipment and documents as part of its investigation into DHS contracting practices under Noem.