Noem: 'Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that she supported getting escaped of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "the mode it exists today." 

In an quality connected CNN’s "State of the Union," Noem’s stance appeared successful enactment with that of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who person some suggested shutting down FEMA could beryllium an option, arsenic the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly gained entree to FEMA’s delicate catastrophe alleviation information to reappraisal its programs. 

"Can and should Donald Trump unopen it down?" CNN’s Dana Bash asked Noem. 

"He can. And I judge that helium volition bash that valuation with his team," Noem said. "And he's talking astir it, which I'm grateful for. He'll enactment with Congress, though, to marque definite that it's done correctly and that we're inactive determination to assistance folks who person a unspeakable catastrophe oregon a situation successful their life. He's been precise wide that helium inactive believes there's a relation for the national authorities to travel successful and assistance radical get backmost up connected their feet. But there's a batch of fraud and discarded and maltreatment retired there. And since President Trump has taken implicit and travel backmost into this administration, we've seen unthinkable change." 

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Noem, who visited Asheville, North Carolina, connected Saturday to conscionable with Hurricane Helene victims and survey the damage, told CNN that she oversaw 12 antithetic earthy disasters that prompted a FEMA effect erstwhile she was politician of South Dakota.

As Trump considers artifact grants for authorities and section officials experiencing earthy disasters, Noem said Sunday that she knew from acquisition that section officials, specified arsenic region exigency absorption directors, mayors, metropolis assembly and commissioners "made mode amended decisions than the radical successful Washington, D.C."  

Asked what she would archer Trump if the president asked her to get escaped of FEMA, Noem said, "I would accidental yes, get escaped of FEMA the mode it exists today." 

"We inactive request the resources and the funds and the finances to spell to radical that person these types of disasters similar Hurricane Helene and the fires successful California," Noem told Bash. "But you request to fto the section officials marque the decisions connected however that is deployed truthful it tin beryllium deployed overmuch quicker. And we don't request this bureaucracy that's picking and choosing winners." 

Noem said Trump "has been clear, too, that helium inactive wants to assistance people," but condemned FEMA for "targeting individuals, helping immoderate radical and not others." The caput appeared to beryllium referencing however FEMA employees nether erstwhile President Biden skipped homes successful hurricane-ravaged areas that had displayed pro-Trump signs past year. 

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Noem besides referenced however Trump managed to adjacent 80% of the unfastened FEMA cases successful North Carolina related to Hurricane Helene," adding, "It's astonishing erstwhile you person idiosyncratic who cares … however rapidly the effect tin be." 

The DHS caput besides defended Musk, arsenic DOGE conducts an audit of national agencies.

"We're moving with them astatine the president's absorption to find what we tin bash to marque our section overmuch much efficient," Noem said. "This is fundamentally an audit of the national government…. And 1 of the things I've been precise wide to the appropriators successful the Senate and the House is delight springiness maine the authorization to reprogram funds." 

Asked if she felt comfy with Musk's information access, Noem said, "Elon Musk is portion of the administration that is helping america place wherever we tin find savings and what we tin do. And helium has gone done the processes to marque definite that helium has the authority. The president has appointed him. I americium contiguous by the enactment that helium is doing, by identifying waste, fraud and abuse. And his accusation that helium has is looking astatine programs, not focusing connected idiosyncratic information and information." 

After the interview, Musk posted to X connected Monday greeting that his DOGE squad discovered that FEMA past week unsocial sent $59 cardinal to "luxury hotels successful New York City to location amerciable migrants." Musk said that "sending this wealth violated the instrumentality and is successful gross insubordination to the President’s enforcement order," and, "that wealth is meant for American catastrophe alleviation and alternatively is being spent connected precocious extremity hotels for illegals!" 

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"A clawback request volition beryllium made contiguous to recoup those funds," Musk added.