Senate Democrats, including Arizona’s Ruben Gallego and Connecticut’s Richard Blumenthal, have demanded an investigation into FEMA’s response to the devastating Texas floods that resulted in over 120 fatalities. The probe, requested through the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, focuses on Secretary Kristi Noem’s cost-cutting measures, particularly a policy requiring her approval for contracts and grants over $100,000. Critics claim this policy could have hampered FEMA’s ability to pre-position resources and deploy teams swiftly.
Noem has dismissed these allegations as ‘completely wrong,’ emphasizing that the policy ensures accountability and that the federal response was immediate. Meanwhile, Trump has both criticized and praised FEMA’s handling of the disaster, reflecting ongoing tensions within the administration. The criticism comes as the agency balances months of attacks from Trump—who has threatened to eliminate it—with its response to one of the deadliest floods in the country’s history. He has since praised the agency’s response, while Noem has said the president doesn’t want to cease operations but recognizes FEMA ‘should not exist the way that it always has been.’