Noem defends FEMA’s Texas response, calls Democrat criticism ‘despicable’

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday said criticisms over the federal response to the deadly flooding in Texas were politically motivated, calling one Democratic lawmaker’s accusations “absolutely despicable.”

Noem appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where she defended against claims that the FEMA response was delayed, and the assertion from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that President Donald Trump and Noem fired FEMA employees as flood victims called the agency.

“You know, this memo and this criticism, I think, is all politics because I was there,” Noem said. “I was there and every time somebody asked for something, we said, absolutely, it’ll be here as soon as possible and it’ll be done.”

Noem said that she and over 700 FEMA workers were in the area within hours of a call with Texas officials. The Coast Guard also immediately deployed following the call, she added.

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The July Fourth floods killed at least 129 people in central Texas. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County.

The secretary said this operation was “the fastest in history that FEMA has ever responded to a disaster” and, unlike FEMA’s poor track record under the Biden administration, this time FEMA “operated how President Trump wanted it to operate.”

“I’m very proud of the fact that we didn’t go there and manage it,” she said. “We went there and allowed the local officials to manage it, to run it. The state did a fantastic job. We’re there to support and give them what resources they need.”

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When asked about Murphy’s claims about victims’ calls to FEMA going unanswered in the days following the deadly flooding due to firings, Noem called his words “an absolute lie.”

“That’s what I think is so disingenuous and horrible about the situation. Nobody was fired, no contracts were ended, everybody was there answering calls and doing all they could to help the people of Texas,” Noem said. “So the fact that Democrats are politicizing this while people are still looking for their babies, they’re still looking for their family members, I think it’s absolutely despicable.”

Noem said Americans “need to know the truth” of how Democrats are “taking advantage of this situation to help themselves politically.”

“It’s a disservice not just to the people of Texas and these families that are going through grief right now, it’s a disservice to our country,” she said.

Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for comment on Noem’s remarks, but they did not immediately respond.

Noem was also asked about a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order against many of the ICE operations that have been carried out in Southern California.
She called the judge’s ruling “ridiculous” and said the federal government will appeal.

“We always built our operations, our investigations on casework, on knowing individuals that we needed to target because they were criminals, because they had conducted violent crimes against individuals in their communities or had overstayed their orders, had violated federal laws, and that is always how this is done,” Noem said.