For the last two weeks, rather than look for solutions to the problems that led to the Texas floodings, most Democrats are out for DHS Secretary Noem’s head.
ICE Barbie, as she has come to be known, has created quite a few enemies on the left.
So, it was no surprise to see the Dems turn yet another national tragedy into a political talking point.
The floods in Texas were tragic, and to some degree, I would agree that the death toll should not have been so severe, but I don’t put Noem at fault for this.
From the reports I have read, most of the fault, in my opinion, falls with local officials.
I say this having lived in an area prone to flooding for more than a decade, and I can flat-out tell you the response by local officials when storms like this were brewing was far different, especially when it seemed inevitable.
Even so, Markey is pushing this narrative, stating, “We’ve seen all of the evidence with regard to Kristi Noem not responding quickly enough. She should resign. What she did in response to the Texas floods is an absolute disgrace.
“She did not get the relief there fast enough. She did not have the the phone-answering capacity in place quick enough to hear people be able to call in with all of their problems.”
Noem had Coast Guard and National Guard on location almost immediately, as the DHS has more tools to use other than FEMA.
In fact, the Coast Guard was on site so quickly, by Monday morning, one pilot was credited with more than 150 saves.
He added, “Only 16% of the calls were being answered by FEMA three days after that flood began. They have an absolute crisis on their hands right now. It’s very reminiscent of George W. Bush and Katrina, where he said to his FEMA director, ‘Great job, Brownie.’ That’s what Trump is now saying to Kristi Noem.
“And it’s not a great job. And everyone in America can see it as the lead story on their televisions every single night. It is still a crisis in Texas, and this administration has completely and totally failed those people. And NOAA, of all things, should not be cut because that’s the warning system that these storms are coming in.”
If we want to be honest here, FEMA itself has botched virtually every emergency response since its inception, so I would take the direction that perhaps Congress needs to rethink the agency and clean it up rather than continuing to point fingers.
I firmly believe in accountability, but I am not going to hang Noem out to dry on this one, and you guys know if I thought she was responsible, I would say it. But that is just not the case here.
