October 17, 2025/Media, Press

As Republicans Blast FEMA Delays, “Western NC Recovery Czar” Michael Whatley Stays Silent

NOTUS: “It’s reaching a boiling point.”

New reporting from NOTUS reveals Republicans are expressing “frustration” with FEMA’s delays in disaster relief that has reached a “boiling point,” adding more scrutiny to Michael Whatley’s failures to deliver Hurricane Helene relief as FEMA “recovery czar.”

As Republicans – with Ted Budd being “one of the most vocal” – blast Kristi Noem’s leadership and FEMA’s failure to deliver aid, Whatley has stayed silent. This follows Whatley’s refusal to denounce Noem for fast-tracking disaster aid to a Florida political donor.

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NOTUS: Republican Frustration With Kristi Noem Has Reached a Boiling Point

Reese Gorman, Anna Kramer | October 17, 2025

  • Members of Congress are growing incensed with Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, claiming that necessary government contracts are being slow-walked and that her office has become difficult to communicate with.
  • This frustration among the Republican conference on the Hill has made its way to both GOP leadership and administration officials, sources told NOTUS. It’s reaching a boiling point.
  • Most of the frustration centers around a rule Noem implemented that she must review and approve any expense over $100,000 at the Department of Homeland Security. At the Federal Emergency Management Agency, housed in DHS, this directive has significantly slowed the agency’s normally routine process of distributing much-needed funds to states trying to rebuild in the aftermath of natural disasters.
  • Concerns among lawmakers continue to grow, both publicly and privately. Some members have taken their complaints to administration officials, multiple sources told NOTUS.
  • One of the most vocal lawmakers has been Republican Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina, who currently has a hold on all DHS nominees in response to FEMA’S slow walking of billions of dollars worth of aid to his state to help rebuild after Hurricane Helene. He placed those holds more than a month ago and has not yet lifted them.
  • But when they try to bring these complaints to Noem’s attention: Crickets.

 

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