Kristi Noem under fire over deadly Texas floods, faces resignation calls for delaying FEMA response for 72 hours

Time of India

10-07-2025

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing calls to resign for enacting disaster relief reforms which officials say hobbled FEMA at the crucial moment after the
Texas floods
. Sources inside FEMA told multiple US media outlets that new policies, including one that requires Noem personally sign off on any spending request over $100,000, slowed responses and removed autonomy from agency employees.
Search and rescue teams specially trained to respond to catastrophic floods couldn't be deployed in case of the devastating Texas flood until Kristi Noem personally gave her stamp of approval, which didn't come until "more than 72 hours after the flooding began,' CNN reported.
Amid the growing criticism of her handling of deadly Texas flood, calls for her to resign are growing as the death toll continues to mount. As many as 160 people still remain missing after the Guadalupe River burst its banks, washing entire communities away. The Trump administration has reportedly shifted the blame to Biden for the chaos.
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Why is Kristi Noem facing calls to resign?
Noem, who oversees FEMA, recently introduced sweeping rules attempting to cut costs, decreeing that every contract over $100,000 now requires her personal sign-off. But in emergency situations like the Texas floods this has hampered the rescue efforts. A request from Texas first responders for aerial imagery from FEMA to help in the state's search and rescue operations, which also needed Noem's personal approval.
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As the floods hit the Central Texas, FEMA officials told CNN they couldn't deploy the Urban Search and Rescue crews in response to urgent requests from authorities at the epicenter of the disaster. Noem didn't authorize FEMA's deployment of the teams until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding began, sources told the paper.
Calls for her resignation have emerged in response to the story. The popular X profile Republicans Against Trump wrote, "This is inexcusable. She should resign."
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The DHS has hit back against the claims. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the deparment, said that Noem didn't need FEMA's teams because other DHS search and rescue assets were deployed.
'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,' McLaughlin told CNN in a statement. 'The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades.'
Kristi Noem delayed Texas aid
Kristi Noem waited four days to sign off crucial aid for the Texas floods. She faced massive criticism for posting on social media about her official portrait. Noem asked her Instagram followers on Sunday which image they preferred for her official portrait as the former governor of South Dakota.'Which one do you like for the official Governor's portrait to hang in the South Dakota State Capitol? Thank you David Uhl!' she posted.
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Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN, '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,' she said.
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