As monstrous floodwaters surged across central Texas late last week, officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency leapt into action, preparing to deploy critical search and rescue teams and life-saving resources, like they have in countless past disasters. But almost instantly, FEMA ran into bureaucratic obstacles, four officials inside the agency told CNN. As CNN has previously reported, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem " whose department oversees FEMA " recently enacted a sweeping rule aimed at cutting spending: Every contract and grant over $100,000 now requires her personal sign-off before any funds can be released.
After Texas floods, questions about FEMA's future loom large
www.nbcnews.com
... Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been exerting more direct control over the agency, which President Donald Trump has talked about "getting rid of."
The devastating Texas flooding that has killed nearly 120 people is the first high-profile disaster the Federal Emergency Management Agency has faced during the current Trump administration. But while the loss of life has been catastrophic, former and current FEMA officials told NBC News that the relatively small geographic area affected means it's not a true test of what the agency, whose full-time staff has been shrunk by a third, is capable of doing in the wake of a disaster.
The real tryout could come later this summer, they say, when there is always the threat that a hurricane could hit several states.
As the agency's future is debated -- President Donald Trump has talked about possibly "getting rid of" it -- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees it, has tightened her grip.
Noem now requires that all agency spending over $100,000 be personally approved by her, according to current and former FEMA officials. To prevent delays on the ground, on Monday FEMA officials created a task force to speed up the process of getting Noem's approval, according to two people familiar with that unit. ...
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