Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is pushing back against a New York Times investigation that found the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) failed to answer nearly two-thirds of emergency calls during the devastating flooding in Central Texas — a catastrophe that has left at least 129 dead and over 160 still missing.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Noem flatly denied the report’s findings. “It’s just false,” she said. “It’s discouraging that during this time, when we have such a loss of life and so many people’s lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this because the response time was immediate.”
However, the Times report, corroborated by multiple sources within FEMA, paints a different picture — one of chaos and delay as thousands of Texans attempted to reach help and were met with silence.
FEMA’s own internal sources say the delays were compounded by sweeping cost-cutting measures championed by Noem. According to CNN, under new rules enacted by Noem, any FEMA contract or grant exceeding $100,000 must be personally approved by the Secretary — a policy that reportedly delayed the deployment of crucial search and rescue operations.
Additionally, hundreds of call center contractors had been laid off earlier this year as part of the same austerity initiative.
Noem Doubles Down, Deflects Blame
On Sunday, Noem questioned the credibility of the whistleblowers and anonymous officials cited in the report. “The individuals who are giving you information out of FEMA — I’d love to have them put their names behind it,” she said. “Anonymous attacks to politicize the situation are completely wrong.”
Doubling down, she called the response effort “the best we’ve seen out of the federal government in many, many years,” adding that it far surpassed what was seen “under Joe Biden.”
Noem’s comments have drawn additional scrutiny not just for their tone, but for her handling of the crisis as a whole. Critics have dubbed her “ICE Barbie” for her penchant for media appearances during immigration raids and disaster operations — often in full makeup and camera-ready attire. Others online mockingly refer to her as “Cosplay Kristi” due to a series of highly stylized appearances wearing tactical gear or piloting military aircraft during official visits.
FEMA Cuts and Reimagining Disaster Response
Despite widespread outrage over FEMA’s shortcomings during the flood crisis, Noem continued her criticism of the agency itself. “The president recognizes that FEMA should not exist in the way that it always has been,” she said. “It needs to be redeployed in a new way, and that’s what we did during this response.”
She further argued that federal disaster response doesn’t begin and end with FEMA. “It’s not just FEMA that can respond in these situations,” she said. “The federal government has all kinds of assets, and we deployed them.”
But for the families waiting for help as the waters rose — many of whom reported being left on hold or receiving no response at all — those “assets” came too late.
As criticism of Noem’s leadership continues to mount, particularly from within her own party, many are left wondering whether political ambition and messaging have taken precedence over the mission to save lives.