Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has created what one outlet described as a logjam for nearly $1 billion in disaster prevention projects across the country, leaving critical safety plans stalled while communities wait — and wait — for federal approval that may never come.
According to a report by NOTUS, the delays stem from Noem’s decision to require her personal sign-off on all Department of Homeland Security–funded projects exceeding $100,000. Since July, that bottleneck has effectively mothballed hundreds of hazard mitigation efforts approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency but never allowed to move forward.
Among the stalled projects is a plan to bury electrical transmission lines near Los Alamos, New Mexico — a wildfire prevention measure aimed at protecting the surrounding community and the nearby national security research laboratory. The area has experienced wildfire threats multiple times in recent years, making the delay especially alarming to local officials.
“We were approved last summer, and it’s been sitting on her desk since,” Philo Shelton, a local utilities manager, told NOTUS.
The data paint a stark picture. Since July, FEMA has approved hazard mitigation grants over $100,000 in only three states: Georgia, North Carolina, and Oklahoma. Those approvals, according to the report, did not happen organically. They went through after well-connected Republican officials intervened behind the scenes in the Trump administration.
In December, FEMA approved roughly $1.5 million for hazard mitigation projects in Georgia, including two projects located primarily in the district of Republican Rep. Buddy Carter. In early January, North Carolina received at least $29 million, largely to buy out homes destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Later that month, Oklahoma finally secured approval for more than $12 million in long-awaited mitigation funding.
Meanwhile, dozens of other states remain stuck in limbo.
The delays are not just bureaucratic. Noem’s approval rule has already been linked to real-world consequences. Previous reporting found that the same $100,000 sign-off requirement slowed the deployment of FEMA search-and-rescue teams during last year’s catastrophic Central Texas floods, which killed more than 100 people.
Critics say the pattern reveals a dangerous consolidation of power — one that prioritizes political connections over public safety. Hazard mitigation grants are designed to prevent disasters before they happen, reducing long-term costs and saving lives. Holding them up, they argue, invites preventable catastrophe.
