Kristi Noem Faces Investigation Over FEMA's Response to Texas Floods

 https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-faces-investigation-fema-response-texas-floods-2097623

Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz has called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be investigated over the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to catastrophic flooding in Texas.

"As a former Emergency Management Director of Florida, I am alarmed by reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to the Texas floods was delayed and hampered by a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 'cost-control' policy imposed by Secretary Kristi Noem," Moskowitz wrote in a letter to the top lawmakers on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Thursday.

"If accurate, this represents a major deviation from long-standing FEMA protocol that may have slowed down lifesaving efforts and contributed to the tragedy's severity."

Deployment of critical FEMA resources were delayed due to a recently enacted rule that requires every purchase, contract and grant over $100,000 to be personally approved by Noem, according to reporting by CNN and the the Washington Post, which cited unnamed current and former FEMA officials.