Kristi Noem ‘alienating Republicans’ — and it’s not just over her handling of ICE
Republicans have started to ramp up criticism over Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — and not just over her handling of ICE and the growing public backlash after two agents killed American citizens — but also tensions over her leadership of FEMA.
As Noem tries to manage the fallout over the Trump administration's harsh immigration actions, "the embattled Noem faces a litany of other dysfunctions in her department that also imperil her tenure," according to a Politico report published Thursday.
"President Donald Trump has insisted Noem will not lose her job," Politico reported. "But her handling of other things under her agency’s sprawling remit – from disaster relief to the gutting of the nation’s cybersecurity agency – is increasingly alienating Republicans at a time when she needs them most."
A number of Republicans have begun to call out Trump and Noem, who is slated to testify in March before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“You’ve got to get adults in the room,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told Politico. “Get people in there who actually have the kind of experience you need to run large, complex organizations. And there’s a lot, by the way, in this Cabinet that do that. It’s just not her.”
Tillis, who has been a critic of DHS and Trump, is among GOP leaders who have suggested Noem might not be up for the job.
“A lot of people question her ability to lead this agency, particularly after what has happened,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) told CNN. “I think that all options need to be on the table to find the best person, if there’s somebody better.”
Trump on Thursday doubled down on his support for Noem during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.
"But frustrations with how the agency is functioning continue to mount," Politico reported. "Some of the most public critiques outside of ICE operations have related to Noem’s leadership of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Tillis, who has called for her resignation or removal from office, devoted much of a speech on the Senate floor last week to Noem’s leadership of FEMA."
According to Tillis and other Republicans, Noem has required that she personally approve any spending that reaches more than $100,000. This move has apparently stalled requests and delayed FEMA assistance from lawmakers and the state officials requesting the funding, Politico reported.
Tillis has also indicated that the federal government's response to hurricanes Helene, Matthew and Florence has been troubling. Hurricane Helene left 250 people dead and caused nearly $80 billion in damages in North Carolina.
“The data clearly shows that something is seriously wrong here,” Tillis said. “Under Secretary Noem’s lack of leadership, FEMA has invented an entirely new set of bureaucracies, the likes of which I’ve never seen.”