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Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said on Sunday that criticism of the federal government’s response to Texas’ fatal floods was politically motivated and called the Democratic lawmakers’ accusations “absolutely mean.”
Noem appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” defending claims that FEMA’s response was delayed, and the allegations from Sen. Chris Murphy that President Donald Trump and Noem fired FEMA employees as flood victims fired flood victims, known as agents.
“You know, this memo and this criticism are all politics because I was there,” Noem said. “I was there, and every time someone asked for something, we absolutely would be here as soon as possible, and it would be done.”
Noem said she and more than 700 FEMA workers were in the area within hours of their call with Texas officials. The Coast Guard was also deployed immediately following the phone call, she added.
Trump administration’s flood disaster response in Texas is “fundamentally different” from Biden’s approach: Noem
Noem said FEMA’s response to the Texas floods was “the fastest” in the agency’s history. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)
The July 4 floods killed at least 129 people in central Texas. Officials believe more than 160 people could still be missing in Kerr County.
The secretary said the operation was “the fastest in history that FEMA has ever responded to a disaster,” and unlike FEMA’s poor track record under the Biden administration, FEMA “run the way President Trump ran it.”
“I’m extremely proud of the fact that we went there and didn’t manage it,” she said. “We went there and allowed local officials to manage it and do it. The state did a great job. We’re there to support and provide the resources they need.”
Homeland Security Secretary Christa Noem sits on Friday, July 11, 2025, before President Donald Trump speaks in a roundtable discussion with first responders and local officials at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, Texas, during a tour to observe flood damage.
NOEM RIPS CNN report claims it delayed DHS’ response to the Texas flood as “absolutely garbage”
During the days following the fatal flood caused by the shooting, when asked about Murphy’s claims about the victim’s call to FEMA, Noem called his words “an absolute lie.”
“That’s what I find very dishonest and terrifying about the situation. No one was fired and the contract wasn’t over. “So the fact that Democrats are politicizing this is that while people are still looking for babies, they’re still looking for family. I think it’s absolutely sleazy.”
Noem said Americans “need to know the truth” that Democrats “use this situation to help themselves politically.”
“It’s harmful not only to the people of Texans and these families who are experiencing grief right now, but to our country,” she said.
Fox News Digital contacted Murphy’s office to comment on Noem’s remarks, but did not respond immediately.
Noem was also asked about federal judges who issued temporary restraint orders for many ice operations carried out in Southern California.
She called the judge’s ruling “silly” and said the federal government would appeal it.
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