What’s going on: Senate Democrats are urging Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to scrap a policy that requires her personal approval for certain FEMA spending, saying it’s delaying tens of millions in disaster relief. If it costs more than $100,000, it lands on Noem’s desk for sign-off. And that’s creating a paperwork purgatory. In a new report, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee said internal DHS tracking data found 1,034 FEMA contracts, grants, and disaster aid awards were delayed or pending after the policy took effect in June. It also found that most approvals took three weeks, with others taking longer. DHS pushed back, telling The Washington Post there’s “no evidence” of widespread delays.
The impact: Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who led the report alongside Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), said Noem’s policy is causing “serious harm” and puts “the safety of communities in need at risk.” Some of the delays included rental units for Hurricane Helene survivors in North Carolina, unemployment assistance tied to disasters in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky, plus housing inspections and crisis counseling. A FEMA official told WaPo that some states have already dipped into rainy-day funds to cover unemployment benefits for disaster survivors while they wait for money that was already promised. The report also raises questions about whether Noem’s directive clashes with a post-Katrina law designed to ensure FEMA acts quickly when disasters hit. Safe to say John Oliver’s going to have something to say about this.
