Kristi Noem's Record of FEMA Failures Exposed During Judiciary Committee Hearings This Week
Noem testified before Congress as her disastrous tenure at DHS has left FEMA in chaos and communities vulnerable
WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, facing intense congressional scrutiny over her catastrophic mismanagement of FEMA. Her record speaks for itself: a year of devastating failures that have gutted the agency's workforce, politicized disaster response, and left millions of Americans facing disasters without adequate federal support.
KEY CLIPS:
Sen. Tillis (R) to Noem: The Homeland Security Act of 2002 expressly prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security from restricting or diverting FEMA resources. [LINK]
"What we've seen is a disaster under your leadership" Republican Sen. Tillis rips into DHS Sec. Kristi Noem. [LINK]
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R) calls out Noem for delayed FEMA funding for California wildfire recovery. “Since June of last year, the grant has just been waiting for your signature, which is a new requirement. We didn't hear back from your office, and that deadline passed. We've gotten no updates from DHS.”[LINK]
Rep. Deborah Ross (D): “Joe Biden provided greater relief. Joe Biden showed up. Joe Biden didn't lie about what was going on on the ground. I don't even want to get into what Donald Trump did during the campaign.” [LINK]
Noem's failures have prompted alarm from Congress, whistleblower complaints, and demands from former officials that the agency be removed from her control. This week’s hearings laid bare the consequences of her leadership.
"Noem's testimony today failed to answer the most critical question: how has dismantling FEMA's expertise and capacity made Americans safer?" said Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member Rafael Lemaitre. "What we witnessed this week was not a defense of sound management, but a doubling down on ideology over emergency preparedness. If we learned anything from the disasters of the past year, it's that FEMA needs expert leadership focused on saving lives, not political restructuring. It’s time to restore the agency’s independence and professional standards before the next catastrophe strikes."
