Democratic lawmakers are demanding Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem to clarify why the Federal Emergency Administration Company did not reply 1000’s of calls from victims of the Texas floods.
In response to the Occasions’ report, FEMA laid off lots of of staff at catastrophe help name facilities as a result of Noem didn’t renew their contracts, which wanted her private signature for renewal since she modified DHS coverage for any contract over $100,000—a pittance relating to catastrophe aid wants.
In response to the report:
On July 5, as floodwaters had been beginning to recede, FEMA obtained 3,027 calls from catastrophe survivors and answered 3,018, or roughly 99.7 %, the paperwork present. Contractors with 4 name heart corporations answered the overwhelming majority of the calls.
That night, nonetheless, Ms. Noem didn’t renew the contracts with the 4 corporations and lots of of contractors had been fired, in line with the paperwork and the individual briefed on the matter.
The following day, July 6, FEMA obtained 2,363 calls and answered 846, or roughly 35.8 %, in line with the paperwork. And on Monday, July 7, the company fielded 16,419 calls and answered 2,613, or round 15.9 %, the paperwork present.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington stated that Noem should now present proof that she accredited these contracts.
“Present us the receipts that you just prolonged these contracts. Flip over paperwork detailing precisely once you renewed these contracts. There must be bipartisan oversight and Congressional hearings over these actually unacceptable failures,” she wrote on X.
The Guadalupe River flows previous a makeshift memorial on July 12.
Equally, three Home Oversight Committee Democrats requested that FEMA present a “detailed and comprehensive list of every contract, grant, or other funding request from DHS and/or FEMA to Secretary Noem related to the July 2025 flooding in Central Texas, including the date the request was made and the date that it was approved or denied by Secretary Noem.”
Finally, the failure to resume FEMA catastrophe help name heart contracts is Noem’s newest blunder in responding to the Texas floods, which have now claimed no less than 130 lives, with greater than 160 folks nonetheless lacking.
Noem additionally did not approve a contract for city search and rescue groups, slowing efforts for 72 hours after the floods, in line with a report from CNN. Noem additionally claimed that this was false.
However in making an attempt to assert that the report was false, a DHS spokesperson really admitted that it took 3 days for lots of of search and rescue staffers to attempt to get better flood survivors, confirming CNN’s reporting.
And whereas Noem was twiddling her thumbs over approving FEMA contracts, she herself has been blowing by means of DHS funding for her personal vainness tasks, spending lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} cosplaying as a legislation enforcement officer throughout ICE raids and Coast Guard missions. She has additionally spent cash to pose in entrance of immigrants detained in El Salvador’s notoriously violent CECOT jail. She additionally requested a brand new $50 million non-public jet to make use of to journey round and carry out extra stunts to scare immigrants.
Seems that President Donald Trump’s appointment of wildly unqualified egomaniacs is now having lethal penalties for People.