"Kristi Noem Under Fire For $1 Billion Disaster Relief 'Logjam'"

"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has created a "logjam" for roughly $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster prevention projects around the country, NOTUS reported on Wednesday morning.

Among the projects that have been essentially mothballed as a result of the delay is a plan to bury transmission lines near Los Alamos, New Mexico, to prevent the risk of wildfires, an issue that has occurred multiple times in the past. “We were approved last summer, and it’s been sitting on her desk since,” said local utilities manager Philo Shelton.

"The plan to protect Los Alamos and the critical national security research laboratory there has been held up by Noem’s requirement that she personally approve all Department of Homeland Security-funded projects over $100,000," said the report. "Since July, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved hazard mitigation grants that cost more than $100,000 in only three states, according to a NOTUS review of publicly available data and internal FEMA documents.""

Matthew Chapman reports for Raw Story January 28, 2026.

Source: Raw Story, 01/29/2026