By John Q. Hosedrinker 
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem renewed calls to eliminate FEMA, citing its slow response to the recent Texas floods, which have resulted in over 120 deaths. However, this delay appears to be a direct result of a new policy implemented by Noem, requiring her approval for all contracts or grants above $100,000, which multiple FEMA officials said has created bureaucratic obstacles and massive delays, including the deployment of search and rescue teams. Noem’s policy, which has been criticized for potentially causing delays in emergency situations, was implemented under the guise of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse. Congressional Democrats are now calling for investigations into the Trump administration’s cuts to FEMA, which may have contributed to the devastation, and some are urging to stop the dismantling of federal agencies designed to keep citizens safe.
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After delaying FEMA response for three days, Noem calls to “eliminate” agency due to slow Texas response. This is a headline that really makes you stop and think, doesn’t it? The absurdity of it all is almost too much to process. It’s like watching a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat, except the rabbit is the agency meant to help people, and the magician is someone actively preventing that help from arriving. The entire scenario reeks of a well-worn Republican strategy: cripple the government, then complain that it doesn’t work. It’s a playbook as old as time.
The first step, as we see in this situation, is to obstruct. Delaying approval for aid, in a crisis situation no less, is a blatant example of hindering the ability of an agency to function. FEMA officials apparently had to get direct approval from Noem on almost every action they took, which, as you can imagine, created significant bottlenecks. Then, after the damage is done, after the delays have caused suffering, the next step in the plan is to loudly proclaim the agency’s incompetence. “See, FEMA is slow! It’s ineffective!” This is the setup. It’s all part of the game, the carefully orchestrated performance designed to convince the public that government, in general, is a bloated, inefficient mess that should be dismantled.
The ultimate goal, it would seem, is to privatize. To funnel taxpayer dollars into the pockets of favored contractors, who will likely do a worse job at a higher cost. The irony is often lost on those who are supposed to benefit, because the issues that FEMA faces are often because someone is intentionally preventing them from functioning correctly. This is the ultimate grift, the ultimate demonstration of power and disregard for the people. The ones who are hurt the most are the citizens, the ones who depend on these agencies in times of crisis. And this isn’t a new play, unfortunately. This tactic has been used again and again.
It’s hard not to feel a sense of outrage when you hear about this kind of thing, and I can’t help but think about the people who are suffering because of this intentional obstruction. It’s not just about the bureaucracy; it’s about real lives, people who are facing devastation and desperately need help. Yet, we have leaders like Noem who seems to prioritize political gamesmanship and personal gain above the well-being of the very people she is supposed to serve. The notion that money is better spent on things like immigration concentration camps instead of helping citizens in a natural disaster just seems cruel. The depth of the callousness is stunning.
It’s truly disheartening to think that some voters will fall for this tactic. That the propaganda and the rhetoric will be enough to convince people that the problem isn’t the obstructionist policies, but the agency itself. That it is easier to destroy than to improve. It is a testament to the power of misinformation and the willingness of some to believe whatever narrative serves their political agenda, no matter how harmful it is. It is an assault on government, on the very idea of helping people, and it should be rejected.
This whole situation also highlights the lack of accountability in politics. In the private sector, when things go wrong, the leadership is held responsible. CEOs are fired. But in government, the same rules don’t seem to apply. Instead, we have leaders who can actively sabotage an agency, then blame the agency for the problems they created. It’s the ultimate in passing the buck. The arrogance is breathtaking.
This entire episode paints a stark picture of a political ideology that seems to have lost its way. It’s a philosophy driven by a desire to tear things down, rather than build them up. It’s a philosophy that puts ideology and personal gain above the needs of the people. The fact that Noem appears to have delayed the process of providing aid until the weekend, while the flood was occurring, is a clear demonstration of where her priorities lie. I wonder if she needed her weekend off?
And let’s not forget the underlying issue of FEMA’s role and importance. If a government can’t help with natural disasters, then what *is* the point of government? It is, after all, a primary function. The message here is loud and clear, and the implications are far-reaching. We have to ask, what kind of future are we creating when we allow this kind of behavior to go unchecked? The answer, unfortunately, is not a very optimistic one. The only hope lies in the public waking up to the game and demanding better. Because this kind of behavior cannot be normalized. It should not be tolerated. It needs to be challenged.