In late December, the chief of staff for Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley sent a sharply worded email to the White House, subject line “Five Alarm Fire.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s “ridiculous” stranglehold on FEMA was choking off funds his California district needed — a district, the email noted, that President Donald Trump had carried.
At issue was a $2.5 million grant to help fortify homes against wildfires. Stalled for months awaiting Noem’s signature, the payment was one of thousands of grants and contracts nationwide caught in the same logjam.
“It’s going to be hell to pay if this simple grant doesn’t get done,” the chief of staff wrote.
“Can you help spare the Secretary some bad press and jiggle the handle on this?”
The email came as Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security careened toward its end. Numerous factors led to her downfall in March, including her role as the face of the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts, a lavish ad campaign featuring her, and allegations of pay-for-play in the department’s handling of contracts. Her decision to withhold billions in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds didn’t help. In the days after Trump fired Noem, Vice President JD Vance suggested it was FEMA’s inability to get money out the door that truly did her in.
