'No idea what she's doing': House Dem slams Kristi Noem over Texas flooding response

FEMA Response Concerns - Democratic lawmakers are raising concerns about the federal response to the Texas flooding, questioning the impact of administration cuts to FEMA and the National Weather Service [1] - The response in Texas is criticized, with claims that FEMA didn't show up with swift water rescue crews for 72 hours, a deviation from past practices [4] - There are reports of over 20% of FEMA's workforce being forced out, and key positions, like the Florida regional administrator, remaining empty [5] FEMA Reform and Current State - FEMA needed reform to be faster, but the current administration broke it, potentially intentionally, by appointing an interim administrator with zero emergency management experience [7][8] - The changes have made FEMA slower and less efficient, potentially costing lives and disproportionately hurting red states that rely on FEMA for disaster relief [9] - The reimbursement process has slowed down, impacting cities' and counties' ability to make decisions and clean up after disasters [9][10] Congressional Action and Hurricane Season Preparedness - Congress could have done more in the past eight months to address the issues at FEMA, but the damage has already been done [13] - Members of Congress from states like Louisiana should push the White House to get FEMA ready, expedite declarations, and preposition resources [14][15] - FEMA needs to revert to its established playbook for hurricane season, and members of Congress should speak up publicly about the need for preparedness [15][16]