‘I’m relieved she’s gone’: Fema staffers celebrate ousting of Kristi Noem

Current and former Fema staff say the fired DHS secretary made the US more dangerous by overhauling the agency Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Some current and former Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) staff are celebrating the Thursday firing of homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, who they say has made the US more dangerous by micromanaging and shrinking the agency. Since her confirmation to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last January, Noem’s tenure was criticized for degrading Fema – the nation’s foremost agency for disaster management and recovery – and repeatedly stating her support for the elimination of the agency. Noem said the overhaul was necessary to end bloating and inefficiency. “Kristi Noem failed as a leader of DHS,” said Michael Coen, a former Fema chief of staff in the Obama and Biden administrations. “Her micromanagement of Fema eroded Fema’s capability and withheld critical funding from states and communities across the country.” Noem’s ouster followed her contentious testimony at a pair of Senate committee hearings, where she faced harsh criticism from Democratic and Re