Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the dubious claim Thursday at a congressional hearing that President Donald Trump is delivering disaster aid quicker than any previous president.
Noem told lawmakers that the Federal Emergency Management Agency “today is deploying resources two times faster on average than in history, which means the dollars are going out twice as fast as they ever had before.”
“And the president, as soon as these disasters are happening, is deploying those resources — to Republican and Democrat states,” Noem testified at a contentious House Homeland Security Committee hearing focused on immigration enforcement. “New Mexico, Texas, Alaska — they’re all getting dollars immediately, and we’re responding immediately to our people.”
FEMA’s own records contradict Noem’s assertions and show that Trump repeatedly has delayed approving disaster aid for states after major storms, wildfires and floods.
