Panicked Republicans warn 'something is seriously wrong' with Kristi Noem

During President Donald Trump’s second term, the Republican Party has typically been a willing accomplice to the administration. The GOP has stood by his side during his many controversial power moves and they have ceded constitutional power as he bypassed the legislative branch to govern by executive orders while defying federal judges.

But Politico reports Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is showing chinks in her armor as constituents rail GOP lawmakers over her repeated failures.

“… Noem is trying to navigate the ongoing furor over ICE unleashed after immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the embattled Noem faces a litany of other dysfunctions in her department that also imperil her tenure,” reported Politico. “… [H]er handling of other things under her agency’s sprawling remit – from disaster relief to the gutting of the nation’s cybersecurity agency – is increasingly alienating Republicans at a time when she needs them most.”

“You’ve got to get adults in the room,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), said in an interview. “Get people in there who actually have the kind of experience you need to run large, complex organizations. And there’s a lot, by the way, in this Cabinet that do that. It’s just not her.”

“A lot of people question her ability to lead this agency, particularly after what has happened,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) recently told CNN. “I think that all options need to be on the table to find the best person, if there’s somebody better.”

Trump has repeatedly broadcast his support for her, but Politico reports frustrations with how she is running the agency is mounting.

“Some of the most public critiques outside of ICE operations have related to Noem’s leadership of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” reported Politico. “Tillis, who has called for her resignation or removal from office, devoted much of a speech on the Senate floor last week to Noem’s leadership of FEMA.”

“The data clearly shows that something is seriously wrong here,” Tillis said, referencing a chart indicating the federal government’s flimsy responses to Hurricanes Helene, Matthew and Florence. “Under Secretary Noem’s lack of leadership, FEMA has invented an entirely new set of bureaucracies, the likes of which I’ve never seen.”

Tillis and others are particularly angry at Noem’s commandment that she personally approve any spending over $100,000 from DHS’ accounts, which has held up requests for FEMA assistance from lawmakers and state officials. Many states personally left in the lurch after weather events are ruby red states like Mississippi, which swung hard for Trump in the last election.

Politico reports tensions are also boiling over regarding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Acting CISA chief Madhu Gottumukkala, Noem’s handpicked choice, “has generated a whirlwind of bad headlines in recent months, including allegations he dumped sensitive information into ChatGPT and failed an unsanctioned polygraph test during his security clearance process,” reports Politico.

“Morale is low, people are looking for glimmers of hope, they are trying to find something positive, because it does feel like every time you move forward, you get kicked in the stomach,” said one former CISA official speaking anonymously with Politico about the politicized agency.

Republicans, according to Politico, are also attacking Noem over insufficient transparency with Congress, with House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) blasting her in December over the difficulty of securing DHS officials’ testimony before the committee. Garbarino also hammered Noem for requiring lawmakers to provide at least seven days’ heads-up before visiting an ICE facility in their own district.

Even now, Politico reports both Republican and Democratic lawmakers are planning to place conditions on how DHS moves money between its accounts, which includes suspending DHS power transfers without transparency requirements.

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