By E. Isaac Lee
Former Los Alamitos Mayor Troy D. Edgar, who was appointed by President Trump as the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was the featured speaker at the Los Alamitos Area Chamber of Commerce March networking meeting.
Edgar told Chamber members about his role as CFO, as well as the state of national security and borders during the Covid-19 crisis.
“My role is trying to make sure that all the resources [are able] to do whatever the administration was trying to accomplish,” Edgar said.
The US Senate confirmed Edgar as CFO for the DHS on May 12, 2020, he said. Previously, he had been the Associate Deputy Under Secretary of Management. A brief overview of his work showed that he’d been in charge of fiscal management and accountability related to the DHS’s budget, estimated at $90 billion. He also supervised ten financial divisions.
Edgar also served as Mayor of Los Alamitos from 2009 to 2012, having been elected to City Council in 2006.
One major topic that came up was the obstacles Edgar faced prior to his appointment. For context, he was originally appointed to CFO in Mar. 2019. However, his nomination was blocked when US Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, blocked it in relation to immigration issues, including the treatment of children in migration detention centers. Rosen eventually pulled her objection in Mar. 2020, allowing for Edgar’s confirmation in May.
“There’s 22 departments and agencies that have CFOs, and 14 that don’t have to be confirmed. That is a privileged nomination that should never have to go to committee,” Edgar said. “Because homeland is very controversial, nothing goes easy there.”
The issue of children in the migrant detention centers, Edgar stated, was something outside his own responsibilities as a CFO in charge of fiscal management and corporate restructuring.
“It was probably one of the best things to happen to me, because through that I got to meet all the Senators, through their offices,” Edgar said.
Edgar believes that close partnership with state senators, as well as his previous work in the DHS as Associate Deputy, allowed him to make it through the confirmation process in spite of its length.
Another topic Edgar discussed was the state of national security, especially in regards to US borders.
“I will tell you that the whole picture is concerning,” Edgar said. “However, you have to keep in mind that a lot of stuff that was in the news wasn’t really consistent with what was actually going on, and so I take everything that I see on the news with a grain of salt.”
Edgar believes that the DHS is taking appropriate steps, from a business perspective. The DHS team is fully staffed and making strong directions in regards to the border, as well as walking back some measures in light of the presidential transition. He didn’t go into further detail on these steps.
Overall, Edgar gave a summary of his experience in public service.
“When you have the opportunity to work at the highest level of the government, and you actually have something to bring – pretty fulfilling,” he said. “So for me, I’d love to have another opportunity down the road,” said Edgar.
