Kristi Noem's Record of FEMA Failures Ahead of Today’s DHS Hearing
As Noem faces Senate questioning, her disastrous tenure at DHS has left FEMA in chaos and communities vulnerable
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. As she faces congressional scrutiny, her record speaks for itself: a year of catastrophic mismanagement at FEMA that has gutted the agency's workforce, politicized disaster response, and left millions of Americans facing disasters without adequate federal support.
Noem’s failures have prompted alarm from Congress, whistleblower complaints, and demands from former officials that the agency be removed from her control.
“Noem’s disastrous tenure is what happens when FEMA operates under political leadership more interested in ideology than emergency management,” said Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member Derrick Osobase. “Her rapid dismantling of FEMA did not make the agency more efficient, it left it incapable of protecting Americans in the midst of catastrophe. FEMA must be established as an independent agency insulated from partisan interference, with professional leadership accountable to emergency management standards, not political whims.”
Noem is Failing FEMA: A Year of Disastrous Management:
Mass Firings: Since Secretary Noem assumed her position last year, 20% of FEMA staff have been slashed, leaving the Agency woefully unprepared for the next disaster.
Travel Pause Impact: A sweeping freeze on FEMA staff travel prevented disaster response personnel from deploying to communities facing active wildfires and ongoing hurricane recovery.
$5 Billion Contradiction: FEMA released $5 billion in recovery funding for legacy projects dating back 15 years, but at the same time announced a freeze on funding for ongoing recovery projects—contradicting any claim of commitment to disaster recovery.
Workforce Decimation: Plans exposed to cut FEMA's workforce in half and force mass relocations out of Washington, D.C., with implementation already underway through politically-motivated purges.
State Resiliency: Under Noem, FEMA quietly dismantled critical programs that helped communities build resilience, train emergency managers, and plan for catastrophic events.
Expert Condemnation: Former FEMA officials and whistleblowers have publicly condemned Noem's leadership as "catastrophic" and warned her approach is "not a feasible way to protect the United States against disasters."
Lawmakers Sound the Alarm: Congressional Democrats have raised urgent concerns that FEMA workforce cuts leave communities dangerously vulnerable during peak disaster season, even going as far as to demand Noem’s resignation.
