Homeland Security Kristi Noem is facing a revolt from Senate Republicans, livid at what they say is her paralyzing management and a communications blackout.
At the heart of the discontent against Noem—nicknamed ICE Barbie for her love of dressing up like her agents while going out in the field—is a $100,000 sign-off rule she introduced that GOP lawmakers claim has jammed emergency payouts.
A GOP senator has placed a hold on all DHS nominees over the slow flow of FEMA dollars to his home state, and other Republicans are complaining that Noem is unreachable, even for phone calls, according to the news site NOTUS.
The flashpoint is her directive requiring the former congresswoman and South Dakota governor’s personal review and approval of any DHS contract of more than $100,000, which emergency managers and Republicans say has slowed routine disbursements after major disasters, the outlet reported.
One GOP member told NOTUS, “You would think a former member of Congress would have more f---ing respect for the institution she used to serve in… She’s causing a lot of problems.”
Sen. Ted Budd, 53, has put a blanket hold on DHS nominees in protest at delays to billions of dollars in Hurricane Helene aid for western North Carolina. Another Republican, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, 71, said she’s “aware of one grant in our state that has been slow-walked.”
DHS insists the choke point is saving money. A department spokesperson told NOTUS that Noem’s reviews have “saved U.S. taxpayers roughly $50 million every day.” It also claims $13.2 billion in waste and fraud has been rooted out in seven months.
A White House official told the outlet DHS has produced “tremendous results,” including “a historically secure border… and successful deportations,” under President Trump and Noem.
The internal grumbling erupted after a summer of strain. Ken Pagurek, the head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch, resigned in July following deadly Texas floods, citing the chaos created by Noem’s review process. FEMA leadership has pushed back, calling Texas operations “a model."
Aides say the problem isn’t just procurement, it’s access. “Getting the secretary on the phone is basically impossible,” one senior GOP aide told NOTUS.
Lawmakers also complain that Noem failed to commit to the House Homeland Security Committee’s Worldwide Threats hearing set for Oct. 8 before the shutdown, a no-show that would have broken a decade-long streak.
“The view among Republicans on the Hill is Secretary Noem is less interested in doing the blocking and tackling of her day job than she is with promoting herself in taxpayer-funded TV commercials,” one senior GOP aide said.
DHS counters that it is “working around the clock” on oversight and clearing a legacy backlog.
Even GOP colleagues sympathetic to Noem’s hard line argue the department’s fear of crossing her has turned routine approvals into a slog. “Nobody wants to f--- up or lose their job,” one Republican member told NOTUS. “So they’re being overly cautious and slow with everything.”
The Daily Beast contacted DHS and the White House for comment.
A DHS spokesperson told NOTUS, “Who are these members complaining? Democrats who shut down the government?”
Repeating its figures regarding “waste, fraud, abuse” that it said it had been “rooting out,” a DHS spokesperson said that “despite constant criticism of this policy from the media and D.C. bureaucrats, results like these speak for themselves.”
