The Department of Homeland Security lashed out at CNN over a report that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to the tragic and devastating floods in Texas was slowed by bureaucratic obstacles.
In a post on X, DHS called the CNN report a “fake news lie” and “activist journalism.”
CNN reported that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem‘s new policy, which required her sign off on any contract or grant over $100,000, prevented FEMA from pre-positioning urban search and rescue teams until they got her approval. That did not come until Monday, more than 72 hours after the flooding started, the network reported.
CNN has defended the report, with a spokesperson saying, “We stand by our reporting.”
In the piece, CNN featured a response from a spokesperson for DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, who said that the department initially used other search and rescue assets. Other entities, like the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, assisted.
But the DHS statement doesn’t actually dispute the CNN timeline of when Noem signed off on the urban search and rescue crews. In the X post, DHS said that, “By Tuesday, FEMA had deployed 311 staffers, providing support and shelter for hundreds of people. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is reforming FEMA to prioritize state-led, locally executed disaster response, as Texas has exemplified.”
CNN’s report, citing internal FEMA data, was that only 86 staffers had been deployed by Monday night, expanding to 311 the next day.
This is a FAKE NEWS LIE from CNN. This reporting is an unapparelled display of activist journalism and distracts from the robust, coordinated federal response led by Secretary Noem that has saved over 900+ lives. While these “journalists” slept comfortably in D.C., Secretary Noem… pic.twitter.com/S4zIZwp8T2
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 9, 2025
The story comes amid Trump’s call to dismantle FEMA, leaving it up to the states to bear more of a responsibility for disaster response. CNN reported that within the agency, there are fears over its ability to respond as hurricane and wildfire season approaches.
The Trump administration’s attacks on the network are nothing new. Trump and Noem last week suggested that the network could be prosecuted over its reporting on a new app that tracks the sightings of ICE agents in neighborhoods. A CNN spokesperson said, “There is nothing illegal about reporting the existence of this or any other app, nor does such reporting constitute promotion or other endorsement of the app by CNN.”
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