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CNN revealed FEMA contractor Kara Voorhies exercised de facto agency authority in violation of federal regulations

On March 29, 2026, CNN reported that Kara Voorhies, an outside contractor installed at DHS by Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski, exercised de facto governing authority over FEMA — approving disaster-aid disbursements, reviewing White House-bound documents, and influencing personnel and budget decisions — despite federal regulations barring contractors from exercising inherently governmental functions. The DHS Office of Inspector General opened an investigation into contracting practices under Noem; investigators seized Voorhies's government-issued equipment after her termination following Noem's departure.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Washington, D.C.

Abuses documented

Actors

On March 29, 2026, CNN reported that Kara Voorhies, an outside contractor installed at the Department of Homeland Security by then-Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski, exercised de facto governing authority over FEMA — including approving disaster-aid disbursements, reviewing congressional briefings and documents bound for the White House, and weighing in on personnel and budget matters — despite federal regulations barring contractors from making decisions that bind the government on core agency functions.

Federal acquisition regulations define inherently governmental functions as activities so intimately related to the public interest that they must be performed by federal employees. Voorhies's reported activities — authorizing disaster-relief payments, shaping interagency communications, and influencing hiring — fall squarely within that definition. Her role was described by sources to CNN as that of a "shadow administrator" operating without statutory authority.

The DHS Office of Inspector General opened an investigation into DHS contracting practices under Noem after Voorhies's termination following Noem's departure. Investigators seized Voorhies's government-issued equipment as part of the probe. Congressional Democrats also launched their own inquiry into Voorhies's role and how the arrangement was structured and authorized within DHS and FEMA.

Updates

2026-08-12 — Court filings revealed Voorhies was paid via an LLC subcontracted to a DOGE-affiliated company [4][5]

A sworn deposition filed in a federal employees' union lawsuit before Judge Illston revealed that after Voorhies's special-government-employee status ended in October 2025, she formed an LLC, which was subcontracted to AnchorCode Technologies — a company owned by Kyle Schutt, whom Voorhies identified as having worked alongside DOGE's team at DHS. Voorhies testified she was paid $325 an hour through the arrangement, which did not go through a public bidding process. AnchorCode was itself a subcontractor to IMGE, DHS's prime contractor, meaning neither AnchorCode nor Voorhies's LLC appeared in the federal government's public contract-tracking system. DHS, Voorhies, and Schutt did not respond to requests for comment.

Why we recorded this

Federal contracting regulations exist to prevent private actors from exercising inherently governmental authority — the power to bind the government, allocate public resources, and set agency policy. When an outside contractor is permitted to approve disaster-aid disbursements, review congressional briefings, and influence personnel and budget decisions at a federal agency, those regulations have been violated regardless of whether the arrangement was deliberate or merely negligent. This archive records when executive branch actors use informal or unlawful arrangements to circumvent the structural safeguards that constrain who may exercise federal authority.

Sources

  1. 'Shadow administrator' at FEMA part of investigation by DHS internal watchdog, sources say — CNN primary accessed July 26, 2026
  2. DHS inspector general probing contracts handled by ex-Secretary Kristi Noem — ABC News secondary accessed July 26, 2026
  3. House Democrats Are Investigating FEMA Contractor Tied to Corey Lewandowski — NOTUS secondary accessed July 26, 2026
  4. FEMA's 'Shadow Administrator' Was Paid by a DOGE Member's Startup for Months — WIRED primary accessed August 13, 2026
  5. FEMA Contractor's DOGE Deposition: What Feds Should Know — The Mindful Federal Employee secondary accessed August 13, 2026

See also