Overview

• Politico reporting, cited by multiple outlets, says Corey Lewandowski serves as the last stop on DHS contracts and grants above $100,000 before they reach Secretary Kristi Noem.
• An administration official and FEMA officials say the added review has created a bottleneck that can stretch approvals for relatively small-dollar contracts into weeks.
• Staff criticism has intensified since Noem’s June directive requiring manual review of six‑figure deals, with 181 current and former FEMA employees saying the policy hindered response after the July 4 central Texas flooding that killed 138 people.
• DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin called the characterization false, asserting Noem personally reviews such contracts, has handled more than 5,000 within 24 hours, and has rejected proposals she says would waste taxpayer funds, claiming $10.7 billion in savings.
• Lewandowski’s outsize role has drawn scrutiny because he is listed as a special governmental employee typically limited to 130 days of unpaid service, with DHS saying he is an unpaid adviser who has filed required ethics disclosures.