President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for doing a “great job” in Texas, despite the criticism she’s received about her role in the response to the catastrophic floods that have wreaked havoc in the Lone Star State.
In a phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker a day ahead of his visit to Kerrville, Texas, Trump claimed he was clueless on reports that a cost-cutting requirement set by Noem to personally authorize all contracts and grants above $100,000 at her department delayed the Federal Emergency Management Agency from swiftly getting help to the region.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Trump said.
“We were right on time. We were there — in fact, she was the first one I saw on television,” he continued. “She was there right from the beginning, and she would not have needed anything. She had the right to do it, but she was literally the first person I saw on television.”
Trump added that Noem has “done a great job” in handling the crisis.
While Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, did not explicitly deny setting the rule in place, she went on to slam CNN, which was first to report on her order.
Sources told the network Noem didn’t authorize the deployment of Urban Search and Rescue crews, which have been trained to operate in such conditions, to the area until Monday, about three days after the floods started.
“Fake news CNN again. It’s absolutely trash what they are doing by saying that,” she told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done.”
Meanwhile, Trump endorsed the implementation of a flood warning system in the region.
Kerr County officials had previously floated the idea as a potential solution to alert residents to rising waters and had estimated its cost would add up to about $1 million, an October report compiled by city and local officials said, according to The New York Times. While the report claimed grants from FEMA could help underwrite the cost, no such system was put in place by the time the flooding began last week, during the July Fourth holiday.
“After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you’d put alarms up in some form, where alarms would go up if they see any large amounts of water or whatever it is,” Trump told Welker. “But the local officials were hit by this just like everybody else.”
The floods have killed at least 120 people, including children, while search and rescue operations continue for the over 170 people still missing.
Trump, who has previously pledged to do away with FEMA, recently dodged questions on whether he still intends to phase out the agency. The president is expected to face questions on the issue during his trip to Texas on Friday morning.
Trump, who will be accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, said he wants to express his support to the people of Texas dealing with this tragedy.
“Those people were with me right from the beginning, and it’s just a message of warmth, and I feel so terribly for them,” Trump said.