North Carolina hopes Noem’s firing speeds up Helene aid

Trump removes Noem from DHS post

President Trump announced on March 5 that he was removing Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. She was the first cabinet member fired in his second term.

Trump nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to replace her, with the change set for March 31. Mullin still needs Senate confirmation.

Noem moved to a new role as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. The shake-up gave North Carolina leaders a reason to hope for faster disaster relief.

Helene left North Carolina waiting for billions

Hurricane Helene slammed into western North Carolina in September 2024, killing more than 100 people and causing an estimated $60 billion in damage.

But as of late February, the federal government had approved only about $7 billion in aid, according to state recovery officials.

That covers roughly 11% of the total damage. Compare that to Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, where federal funding covered more than 70% of recovery costs.

The gap left communities struggling to rebuild.

Noem required personal sign-off on spending

In June 2025, Noem started requiring her personal approval on any FEMA spending over $100,000.

That was a huge drop from the previous $20 million threshold set just a month earlier. Before the policy, FEMA had the authority to approve its own spending without the DHS secretary stepping in.

A Senate Democratic report found that the policy held up more than 1,000 disaster-related contracts and grants.

DHS pushed back, saying there were no widespread delays.

Both parties pushed back on Noem

The frustration crossed party lines. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called for Noem’s resignation over the stalled North Carolina funding.

Democratic Gov. Josh Stein wrote to Noem multiple times asking why reimbursements were stuck. Republican Sen. Ted Budd put a hold on DHS nominees until FEMA money reached western North Carolina.

By mid-2025, hundreds of millions in already-approved funds sat waiting for Noem’s signature.

Local governments that had finished cleanup work waited months to get paid back.

Tillis accused Noem of breaking federal law

At a March 3 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Tillis accused Noem of violating the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

That law bars the DHS secretary from restricting or redirecting FEMA resources away from its mission. Tillis showed a graphic of inconsistent fund payments to North Carolina and called her leadership a failure.

He warned he would block all DHS nominations if she did not answer his questions within two weeks. Noem had no chance to respond, as Tillis submitted his questions.

NC Republicans welcome the leadership change

Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents most of the Helene-damaged region, said the approach under Noem was not working.

He welcomed a new direction at DHS. Republican Rep. Tim Moore said he would ask for an immediate review of all pending FEMA funds for Helene recovery.

Tillis called Mullin a great choice who would refocus on getting disaster aid out the door. The reaction across the state’s Republican delegation was relief.

Governor Stein pushes for faster funding

Gov. Stein said FEMA needs to move with more urgency in approving and sending out funds. He said he looks forward to working with Mullin to deliver for western North Carolina.

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer echoed the call, hoping the leadership change would make the process smoother.

Stein has asked Congress for an additional $13.5 billion in Helene recovery funding. In total, the state’s outstanding request from the federal government sits at about $23 billion.

FEMA lost a third of its workforce

FEMA itself took a beating under Noem. The agency lost about a third of its permanent staff during her time in charge.

Noem had targeted a broader cut of about 11,000 workers, roughly half the agency. Multiple experienced leaders left or were pushed out.

A federal workers’ union sued over the non-renewal of about 200 on-call disaster response employees. When word of Noem’s firing spread, FEMA employees reportedly cheered inside the agency’s headquarters.

A DHS shutdown made things worse

At the time of Noem’s removal, DHS had been in a partial government shutdown for weeks. Democrats refused to fund the department after fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by immigration agents.

About 100,000 DHS employees were furloughed, including staff in cybersecurity and disaster relief. FEMA could not replenish its Disaster Relief Fund until the shutdown ended.

The agency had already pulled back on some disaster operations and frozen emergency management training.

Noem’s problems went beyond FEMA delays

FEMA was not the only reason Noem lost her job.

A $220 million DHS advertising campaign featuring Noem drew criticism from both parties over its cost and the firms that won the contracts.

Congressional hearings also focused on ICE agents killing two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Lawmakers questioned Noem about allegations involving adviser Corey Lewandowski.

Trump was reportedly upset that Noem claimed he had approved the ad campaign, which he denied.

Mullin has his own doubts about FEMA

Mullin may not bring the fresh start North Carolina wants.

After Hurricane Helene in 2024, he said communities would wait forever if they relied on the federal government. Both Trump and Noem had talked about eliminating FEMA entirely before shifting to reform language.

A FEMA Review Council co-chaired by Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was expected to release restructuring plans by March 25. A bipartisan House group is pushing a bill to pull FEMA out of DHS and give it cabinet-level status.

Western NC still faces a long road ahead

The numbers tell the story. The federal government has covered roughly 11% of the estimated $60 billion in damage.

North Carolina has committed about $3.1 billion of its own money toward recovery. Crews have cleared an estimated 16 billion cubic feet of debris.

Former FEMA public affairs director Rafael Lemaitre said it could take a decade to rebuild the agency from the damage Noem caused. The 2026 hurricane season begins June 1, and experts warn FEMA is not ready for another major disaster.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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