Latest news with #disasteraid
New York Times
13-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Noem Defends FEMA Response to Texas Floods
Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, defended the federal government's response on Sunday to catastrophic flooding in Texas that left more than 120 dead. She dismissed as 'absolutely false' reports that recent policy changes slowed the deployment of critical disaster aid. In an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Ms. Noem denied that a new policy requiring her personal approval for contracts larger than $100,000 had left Federal Emergency Management Agency call centers understaffed for days after floodwaters swept through Texas's Hill Country on July 4 and 5. The New York Times reported that on July 6 and 7, thousands of calls to the agency went unanswered because hundreds of contractors had been fired when their contracts lapsed on July 5. 'False reporting, fake news,' Ms. Noem said. Experts and current and former FEMA employees have said the agency was slow to deploy response and search-and-rescue coordination teams. But Ms. Noem insisted that FEMA, which is a part of the Department of Homeland Security, had responded to the Texas flooding better than it had to any other disaster in 'many, many years' and dismissed claims to the contrary as attacks by the Trump administration's political opponents. 'What is really unfortunate is we have a situation where so many individuals are playing politics with what happened to Texas,' she said. Representative Chip Roy, a Republican who represents parts of Texas hit hardest by the floods, appeared on 'Fox News Sunday,' decried 'all the finger-pointing that the media wants to point to' and said the focus should instead be on the 'heroism' of emergency responders and local officials. Other Republicans in Texas and Washington have brushed aside questions about how the federal and state governments have responded to the flood. During a visit to Texas on Friday, President Trump said that 'only a very evil person' would ask about reports that flood alerts weren't sent out earlier and that people died as a result. Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas dismissed a question last Tuesday about whether he would call for an investigation into the flooding, saying that asking about blame was 'the word choice of losers.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's response to flooding in Texas reflects glaring inequality
The Trump administration's politicization of federal disaster aid was on display over the weekend. President Donald Trump's provision of disaster aid to help Texas respond to deadly flooding in Kerr County — the conservative-leaning region that helped elect GOP Rep. Chip Roy — was appropriately urgent. His approach to recent catastrophes in states led by Democrats? Not so much. The federal government should urgently provide all aid necessary to stricken areas. So there was nothing wrong with Trump's announcement that he had authorized a 'major disaster declaration' that will unlock federal funding for Texas. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared the announcement in a social media post, vowing that Texans will 'get the support they need as search efforts continue and recovery begins.' But Trump and his administration have taken a markedly different approach to federal assistance for various Democratic-led states — slashing, stalling or outright denying money for disaster aid, sometimes for nakedly political purposes. In fact, just hours before Trump's Texas aid announcement, the advisor he tapped to lead the U.S. government's response to deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County earlier this year, Ric Grenell, posted a political attack on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. Grenell said he had told Trump not to give aid to California unless the state meets certain political demands related to its water supply and forestation policies — essentially peddling Trump's false claims that the devastating fires stemmed from liberal policymaking. 'The fires will happen again. I've told DJT we shouldn't spend federal money on California if the problems aren't fixed first,' Grenell wrote on X on Sunday morning. Trump himself has said that California instituting a restrictive voter identification law is a 'condition' for him to administer more money, so he clearly doesn't think politicization of disaster aid is a problem — despite his lie-filled allegations about President Joe Biden's administration after Hurricane Helene last fall. Trump's administration also has denied a request from another Democrat, Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson, to issue a major disaster declaration that would unlock funds to help his state recover from a bomb cyclone in November. The Federal Emergency Management Agency concluded that such a declaration is 'not warranted.' And the administration has denied North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's request to get fully reimbursed for Helene cleanup, a move that could severely undermine the state's years-long recovery efforts. FEMA similarly determined that the request is 'not warranted.' The president has been outspoken about his goal of shutting down FEMA by the end of hurricane season and giving states a greater share of the financial burden of disaster recovery. In the meantime, the administration seems to be using the agency as a means to assist people and places seen as friendly to Trump — and to punish those that aren't. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gavin Newsom Urges JD Vance to Meet With Wildfire Victims During LA Visit
Gavin Newsom urged Vice President JD Vance to meet with wildfire victims during his trip to Los Angeles on Friday. In a video posted midday on X, the California governor indicated that the vice president should also speak with President Donald Trump about securing disaster aid for those who need it in the state. The call came amid heightened tensions between the governor and POTUS as they continue their legal battle over sending the National Guard to L.A. to quell protests related to increased ICE raids in the city. Watch Newsom's video below: I just read JD Vance is coming into town. — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 20, 2025 According to Vance's office, the vice president is scheduled to hold briefings with officials from the DOD, DEA, Homeland Security, ICE, the LAPD and California Highway Patrol to address the protests, raids and continued federal presence in L.A. More to come … The post Gavin Newsom Urges JD Vance to Meet With Wildfire Victims During LA Visit | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
E&E News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Trump says FEMA overhaul will come after hurricane season
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will wait until after this hurricane season to begin cutting disaster aid to states. Trump's comments to reporters during an Oval Office briefing are the clearest signal yet that Trump would continue to help states grapple with disasters for at least several more months, despite his threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency. When asked how much disaster-related costs would be shifted to states from FEMA, Trump at one point turned to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and said, 'We think, after this… Kristi, I'd say after the hurricane season, we'll start phasing—' Advertisement 'We set up a FEMA council,' Noem interjected. 'Over the next couple of months, we'll be working on reforms and what FEMA will look like in the future as a different agency.'
E&E News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Trump backs off plan linking disaster aid, immigration
The Trump administration has retreated from a plan to make federal disaster aid conditional on states helping with immigration enforcement, a new court document shows. The move marks a victory for Democratic-led states that sued to block an administration policy adopted in April that would block billions of dollars in disaster aid and other funding for states that don't cooperate with immigration authorities. Democratic states have won other court rulings to restore or release disaster aid. The latest lawsuit, by 20 Democratic prosecutors, calls the April Department of Homeland Security policy a 'grant funding hostage scheme' that tries to 'coerce' states into following the administration's immigration enforcement efforts. Advertisement In a court filing Friday, the administration backed off from the April policy and said its immigration enforcement requirements 'do not apply' to grants and Federal Emergency Management Agency programs that help communities during and after a major disaster. DHS oversees FEMA.
