SHOT/CHASER: Kristi Noem Gutted Disaster Response, Then Turned to FEMA for Political Cover During Winter Storm Fern

One FEMA official told CNN: “I was shocked she showed up after all the sh*t we’ve been put through and what she’s said.”

Washington, DC – Under Kristi Noem’s leadership, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has gutted FEMA and our national disaster response infrastructure. Noem has called to eliminate FEMA, delayed critical search and rescue missions which could have saved lives after the Texas floods, and is personally responsible for holding up billions of dollars in disaster aid to states. But, last week, during Winter Storm Fern and amidst growing backlash against her for allowing ICE to murder Americans and terrorize communities, Noem turned to FEMA for political cover. 

SHOT: CNN: Kristi Noem treated FEMA as an adversary. Then came a massive winter storm

CHASER: Noem has gutted FEMA, personally delayed and denied disaster relief for communities across the country, redirected FEMA funds to ICE, and left people more vulnerable to extreme weather.  

• Noem redirected over $600 million from FEMA to build migrant detention centers and forcibly reassigned dozens of key FEMA staff to work for ICE on deportations, putting communities at risk from extreme weather.
• Under Noem’s leadership, FEMA has repeatedly blocked and delayed critical aid to disaster survivors.
• Noem required her signoff on FEMA spending over $100,000, which led to delays in aid and recovery for Texas after deadly flooding and North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.
• While FEMA blocked and delayed aid to disaster survivors, DHS spent $200 million on two private jets for Noem.
• Noem’s scrutiny of FEMA aid to states created a $17 billion bottleneck, slowing assistance to disaster-struck communities.
• Noem said that she planned to eliminate FEMA, and under Noem, FEMA lost roughly 20% of the staff responsible for mitigating and responding to disasters ahead of hurricane season.
• In December 2025, Noem cut dozens more disaster response and recovery staff at FEMA, with potential cuts to thousands more response staff. FEMA employees were told to prepare for the agency to cut its staff by more than 50%.
• The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that Trump and Noem’s FEMA cuts could “exacerbate existing challenges and impact the federal government’s readiness to respond to future disasters.”
• More than 180 FEMA officials and experts sent a letter to Congress saying that FEMA leadership, including Kristi Noem, was unqualified and hindered the agency’s ability to effectively manage emergencies.