Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is in increasingly hot water as Democrats demand answers about her response to last week’s deadly Texas floods and emergency officials sound the alarm on policies they say stopped them from quickly providing relief.
Noem’s DHS, which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is defending its approach after four FEMA officials told CNN that a new cost-cutting measure requiring her personal sign-off on any contract or grant over $100,000 impeded on the agency’s ability to swiftly respond in Central Texas, where around 120 people have died and more than 160 remain missing following flash floods.
“We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it,” a longtime FEMA employee told the network. “That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment.”
The officials told CNN that Noem’s new policy stopped them from quickly deploying Urban Search and Rescue teams, which Noem didn’t authorize until Monday ― more than 72 hours after the flooding began and when more than 100 people were confirmed dead. Documents reviewed by CNN also found that by Monday night, a mere 86 FEMA staffers had been deployed to Texas.
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The FEMA employees also said the new policy stopped them from quickly providing Texas officials with aerial imagery in the flood area and bringing in additional support staff at disaster call centers.
When reached for comment on those officials’ concerns, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the department has taken an “all-hands-on-desk” approach to recovery efforts, saying the department has deployed “extensive” staff and a liaison officer to Kerrville, Texas, though she did not provide any specific numbers when asked.
Much of McLaughlin’s response focused on the Trump administration’s efforts to scale back FEMA ― an agency Noem and Trump have said they want to shut down entirely while leaving disaster response to the states.
“FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens. The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades,” McLaughlin said.
DHS did not immediately respond when asked to name specific failures.
“DHS is rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and is reprioritizing appropriated dollars. Secretary Noem is delivering accountability to the U.S. taxpayer, which Washington bureaucrats have ignored for decades at the expense of American citizens,” McLaughlin’s statement continued.
“The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades.”
– DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin
Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden’s takeaway from the CNN report was blunt.
“Kids in Texas died as a direct result of Kristi Noem’s negligence. She should be removed from office before her incompetence gets Oregonians killed in a wildfire,” he wrote on social media.
Another major question mark in DHS’s response is the whereabouts of FEMA Administrator David Richardson, who has not issued any public statements about the floods and does not appear to have visited Texas. When HuffPost asked FEMA on Tuesday where he was, the agency said any information about his travel would be “released through official channels” and did not respond to any follow-up questions.
When asked again on Thursday to comment on his plans to visit Texas, DHS again did not respond.
His absence is not normal, former FEMA officials told Politico, and indicates to local leaders that they can’t rely on him.
On Wednesday, a group of Democratic lawmakers sent Richardson a letter questioning whether he was fulfilling his job duties, demanding more specific details on how many FEMA personnel have been deployed to Texas and asking about plans to fill vacancies at the National Weather Service.
The Democrats ― which include Reps. Rick Larsen (Wash.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.), Greg Stanton (Ariz.) and Gabe Amo (R.I.) ― noted that a key NWS position in San Antonio hadn’t been filled. “How was critical information communicated to Texas emergency management and public safety officials?” they asked in light of the vacancy.
“It would be unconscionable to face the next extreme weather event with a FEMA and NWS that are anything less than fully resourced to respond from the earliest forecast through the last delivery of relief,” they wrote.