Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on Saturday that the federal response to the devastating floods in Texas Hill Country last weekend highlighted the enhanced disaster relief initiatives that the Trump administration is dedicated to implementing.
The disastrous Fourth of July floods resulted in at least 119 fatalities and left over 150 individuals unaccounted for, including 27 girls who were attending Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas.
“What you observed from our response in Texas is indicative of how President [Donald] Trump envisions the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),” Noem remarked during a press conference.
She further noted: “Our actions in Texas were markedly different from those of Joe Biden.”
In relation to the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the Biden administration concluded that the chemical spill did not meet the criteria for a FEMA disaster declaration, which postponed the arrival of a federal response team by two weeks.
During the 2023 Maui wildfires—which resulted in over 100 deaths and devastated historic Lahaina—survivors found themselves without food, water, or shelter. At that time, FEMA Administrator Michael Brown criticized President Biden’s management of the crisis as “an abject failure.”
Numerous reports also highlighted the sluggish response and inadequate support from the Biden administration following Hurricane Helene’s impact on North Carolina, Georgia, and South Carolina in late 2024.
“I will also be signing an executive order to initiate the process of fundamentally reforming and possibly dismantling FEMA,” Trump stated in January during his visit to North Carolina. “I believe, quite frankly, that FEMA is ineffective.”
Noem emphasized that federal assistance was present in Texas immediately after the onset of the flooding.
“We deployed our Coast Guard, helicopters, and swift water rescue teams from Customs and Border Protection,” she stated. “Our Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) teams, which I refer to as the Department of Homeland Security’s ninjas, are specially trained for scenarios like this, where unprecedented events are occurring.”
In the aftermath of the floods, Noem mentioned that she immediately met with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to discuss the process of securing a major disaster declaration.
She remarked that within an hour or two of the request, the White House granted approval, as reported by Fox News.
“We pre-deployed funds directly to Texas so that they can make informed decisions in response to their citizens,” Noem explained. “FEMA has never undertaken such an action before — pre-deploying funds to a state to enable them to save lives.”
The DHS secretary further stated that Trump aims to empower states in their responses to natural disasters.
“Emergencies are executed at the local level,” she noted. “They are managed by the state, and then the federal government provides support. No one wants to wait for federal assistance to arrive and rescue them from their homes, as this approach has not effectively served people under the Biden administration.”
Under Trump, Noem asserted that federal officials quickly aided local and state authorities in managing the response. She expressed her belief that FEMA “will cease to exist in its current form.”
“We are fundamentally reforming that agency,” Noem stated. “President Trump may choose, at his discretion, to rename it. He might devise a new name for this agency that reflects the significant changes that will occur. However, this agency will no longer function as a bureaucratic entity where individuals must wait 20 years for their claims to be processed.”
This agency will promptly communicate with the state and the local emergency management director, asking, ‘What are your needs? How can we assist you?’ Subsequently, it will provide training to equip them with the necessary skills to serve their communities without delay, as they are consistently present on the scene more quickly. They are right there on the streets.
