# Joseph Cuffari > [!note] Stub > This is a short entry that hasn't been fully written yet. **Joseph Cuffari** has been Inspector General of the [[Department of Homeland Security]] since 25 July 2019, confirmed by Senate voice vote. He was not among the inspectors general removed in January 2025. **Why it matters.** Cuffari is the clearest live test of what the oversight system does when the watchdog is the one accused. In October 2024 the Integrity Committee of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency released findings substantiating misconduct during his tenure, including misleading the Senate during his own confirmation. The Committee can recommend but cannot discipline; he remained in office. In 2026 his office was on the other side of the same problem, reporting on 2 March that the department had revoked or denied its access to at least eight databases and had "systematically obstructed" its work — a claim Secretary [[Kristi Noem]] denies. ## See also - [[How an Inspector General Is Appointed and Removed]] — the appointment and removal routes, and what the Integrity Committee can and cannot do - [[Inspector General Oversight Tree]] — the watchdog layer as a structure - [[Inspectors General]] — the offices and their council - [[Department of Homeland Security]] · [[Kristi Noem]]