Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem lashed out at CNN after it reported she delayed signing off on vital federal aid for areas of Texas devastated by flash flooding.
Speaking to Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Noem—dubbed “ICE Barbie” for her cosplay photo-ops—denied the claims as “fake news” and accused the network, long loathed by President Donald Trump, of being “absolute trash.”
“Our Coast Guard, our Border Patrol, BORTAC teams were there immediately. Every single thing they asked for, we were there,” Noem said Thursday morning. “Nobody there has said anything about not getting everything they wanted immediately or that they needed, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done to support that.”
CNN reported that Noem, whose department oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, delayed approving the deployment of Urban Search and Rescue crews to areas hit by the central Texas flooding, which has killed at least 120 people and left about 160 missing.
Previously, FEMA could dispatch these rescue teams immediately to crisis zones to deal with catastrophic floods. But Noem introduced a new layer of bureaucracy requiring her personal approval for any contract or grant exceeding $100,000 as part of cost-cutting measures.
Instead of Urban Search and Rescue teams being dispatched on Friday flooding battered Texas, Noem didn’t sign off on the move until Monday.
On Sunday, Noem managed to find time to ask her Instagram followers to chose which one of three paintings of her on horseback she should use for her official portrait as an ex-North Dakota governor.
FEMA officials expressed frustration at this added layer of bureaucracy in the middle of a crisis, especially as $100,000 is considered “pennies” in disaster response, where costs can soar into the billions.
“We were operating under a clear set of guidance: lean forward, be prepared, anticipate what the state needs, and be ready to deliver it,” a FEMA official told CNN. “That is not as clear of an intent for us at the moment.”
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the DHS, said that Noem only needs to sign off on additional FEMA resources, not initial requests.
“FEMA is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens,” McLaughlin told CNN. “The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades.”
In her denial of CNN’s report, Noem told Fox & Friends that the network “continuing to be political and push out fake information and false information and lies is not shocking, but it’s a disservice to the country.”
“Because people start to mistrust anything that comes out over the news, and then they just don’t trust anybody.”
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast.
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