Home Consumer Budget Limits At DHS Delayed FEMA’s Texas Deployment, Officials Say

Budget Limits At DHS Delayed FEMA’s Texas Deployment, Officials Say

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem speaks at a news conference about search and rescue efforts after recent flooding along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas. (Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP)

Two days before torrential rains turned the Guadalupe River into a raging flood, a veteran official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency told The Washington Post that one of the main concerns for this disaster season was the agency’s ability to quickly deploy specialized search and rescue teams. The Trump administration’s new rules mean disaster specialists can no longer “make decisions” on their own.

The official then watched it happen in real time in Texas.

Deployments of critical resources, such as tactical and specialized search and rescue teams, were delayed as a result of a budget restriction requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem to approve every purchase, contract and grant over $100,000, according to a dozen current and former FEMA employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.

When rapidly responding to billion-dollar disasters, that “is basically everything,” said one current official.

Faith Based Events

Other efforts by the administration to constrain spending have hampered FEMA’s operations, officials said, which is likely to make it harder for the agency to be proactive during what is predicted to be a busy disaster season.

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