As Kristi Noem is replaced as DHS Secretary, reporting from the New York Times is highlighting how North Carolina Republicans pushed Noem for “the billions of dollars FEMA owed the state” while “recovery czar” Michael Whatley did nothing. Despite being put in charge of “lead[ing] the team” for federal Helene recovery, Whatley continued to stand by Noem amid the delays in relief for Western North Carolina.
Whatley hasn’t said a word about Noem’s firing, even as North Carolina Republicans and FEMA staff celebrate.
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NYT: How Noem’s Handling of Disaster Aid Angered Even Some Republicans
Scott Dance | March, 5, 2026
- For months, Kristi Noem’s handling of disaster assistance as the leader of the Department of Homeland Security had been raising concern across the country. A rule she imposed requiring that her office review all contracts and grants of $100,000 or more had stalled Federal Emergency Management Agency aid that state and local governments were counting on, waiting to be reimbursed for relief and recovery efforts they had paid for months or years earlier.
- Ms. Noem’s handling of FEMA had already rankled Republicans in North Carolina, where impacts from Hurricane Helene in 2024 remain fresh in the western part of the state. Last fall, the state’s GOP senators held up votes on nominees for weeks until Ms. Noem released some of the billions of dollars FEMA owed the state.
- But the frustrations persisted. In a hearing on Tuesday, Ms. Noem again drew heated criticism from Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, who is retiring when his term ends in January 2027 and had already called for Ms. Noem to resign over her handling of FEMA.
- “People are hurting in Western North Carolina from the most significant storm they’ve ever experienced,” Mr. Tillis said. “It begs the question: Why? Why would that be a policy?”
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