Senator Tillis Publicly Rebukes Kristi Noem, Ties Her DHS Rules to Aid Delays
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) took to the Senate floor to sharply criticize Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, tying her leadership to delays in federal disaster relief funding that he says are hurting states and local communities.
Tillis claimed roughly $17 billion in federal disaster funds has been delayed because Noem implemented a policy forcing any FEMA expenditure over $100,000 to be approved by her office, creating what he described as a “bottleneck” for things like debris removal and infrastructure repairs.
His comments come amid broader frustration within elements of Congress over FEMA’s response times, particularly in areas still recovering from storms like Hurricane Helene and follow Tillis’s remarks outside the Capitol that he now has no confidence in Noem’s ability to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Tillis’s Senate floor remarks, shared widely online, highlighted the funding delays and connected them to administrative reviews that he and others argue have slowed payments to states and local governments. Officials in some affected regions have also voiced concerns about slow reimbursements.
“There’s a real operational bottleneck that’s hurting people rebuilding right now,” Tillis said, underscoring his argument that the executive review process is overly centralized.
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The criticism of Noem is notable not just for its tone but for its timing, as questions about FEMA’s performance have intersected with broader GOP debate over disaster policy and homeland priorities. Congressional Democrats have also pressed FEMA and DHS on response times and accountability.
Federal officials have defended the pace of approvals in recent months, saying funds are being processed and released, though turnaround times have varied. DHS and Noem’s office did not immediately offer a new statement responding directly to Tillis’s floor remarks.
The matter matters to states like North Carolina, where disaster recovery efforts remain ongoing and where representatives are pushing for faster, more predictable federal aid flows. How DHS responds to these critiques and whether policy changes are forthcoming may be a focus of upcoming appropriations and oversight discussions.
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