“Makes America Less Safe”: Kennedy Demands Noem’s Resignation in Explosive Hearing

A tense Capitol Hill confrontation erupted as Rep. Tim Kennedy delivered a blistering takedown of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Kennedy accused Noem of deporting U.S. citizens, mishandling the federal response to deadly floods, slashing critical FEMA programs, and cutting New York’s counterterrorism funding even as threats continue to rise.

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00:00We have 300-plus human traffickers arrested, up 15%.

00:03I'm sorry, sir. Mr. Chairman, I'll give it back.

00:06I appreciate that.

00:07I'll catch you after that.

00:08If one of the following witnesses wants to give him some time to answer that very important question, they can do that.

00:14Gentleman yields back. I now recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Kennedy, for five minutes.

00:19Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:20Secretary Noem, with about a year as DHS Secretary under your belt, there's no shortage of criticisms for me to choose from today.

00:28You've deported American citizens, bringing a level of inhumanity to this nation's immigration laws that I haven't seen in my lifetime.

00:36You've terrorized communities, including my own in Buffalo, New York, vowing to go after the worst of the worst,

00:42but instead detaining women, children, and hardworking individuals in pursuit of the American dream.

00:48You've botched a response to one of the most devastating floods we've seen,

00:52an extreme weather event along the Guadalupe River that took more than 130 innocent lives, including more than 35 children.

01:01Central Texas waited days for your agency to respond because of the reckless policies you've implemented.

01:08Your FEMA lead was missing in action, completely unreachable, as were FEMA's call lines,

01:13with 84% of calls unanswered on July 7th, three days after the floods.

01:20FEMA personnel, despite your slashing of their ranks, who were ready and willing to help,

01:25waited days to spring into action because of your policies.

01:29Disasters do not wait for bureaucracy.

01:33Your abysmal performance goes beyond your woeful disaster response.

01:37You've also taken a sledgehammer to FEMA's recovery, preparedness, and mitigation missions.

01:43You canceled more than $4 billion in building resilient infrastructure and communities funds,

01:49a program that helps communities reduce their risk of natural disasters.

01:54You withheld millions in FEMA funds for emergency alerting infrastructure,

01:59found to be in violation of the Impound Control Act.

02:02You, perhaps most critical to my state of New York,

02:07canceled more than 90% of New York State's Homeland Security Program funding,

02:13including $134 million in urban area security initiative funds for New York City's greater metropolitan areas.

02:22You have mismanaged these grants to the point where cities and states, including New York,

02:27are suing you to recover counterterrorism funding that's lawfully theirs,

02:32and that Congress intended for them to receive.

02:35It's a tragedy that we're here today discussing these cuts to counterterrorism and security grant funds

02:40for a city that was the main site of the September 11th attacks,

02:45the entire reason your department was established in the first place.

02:50As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Emergency Management,

02:53it's my responsibility to show the American public how you've systemically upended FEMA

02:59and emergency preparedness as we know it.

03:02So I have a couple of questions.

03:04Simple yes or no answer to suffice.

03:06Would you agree with the national security officials' assessment

03:09that the United States has been operating in a heightened threat environment for several years now?

03:14Yes.

03:18Yes or no?

03:18Would you say New York City is susceptible to these kinds of security threats?

03:22Yes, and that's why they should spend $440 million they had in newspapers the federal government gave them

03:29And with New York City being the number one security threat in this nation,

03:36it's unconscionable that you would cut $134 million in urban area security initiative funding

03:44for the city of New York.

03:46What compels you to knowingly make our cities less safe with these funding cuts?

03:50What compels you, your mayor, and your governor, to release thousands of criminals on the streets

03:55rather than to turn them over to ICE?

03:57You'd rather release a murderer out on the street-

03:58Secretary Nome, you cut $134 million in funds to support the security of New York City

04:07and the state of New York, the number one threat in this nation.

04:11In your own words, your cuts are blatantly political, callous, and outright dangerous.

04:16It's clear you have no interest in countering real threats in the homeland.

04:21While high-risk cities and disaster zones wait for help,

04:25you've devoted the past 11 months of violent raids, anti-police policies, and non-stop photo ops.

04:32You brought shame to a department that was created after 9-11 in a time of unity to protect our people.

04:40Your failure to lead is a direct threat to the homeland security in our nation,

04:44and you should resign immediately.

04:46I yield back.

04:49Gentleman yields back.

04:50I now recognize the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Strong, for five minutes of questions.

04:55Thank you, Mr. Chairman, ranking member, and members of this committee.

04:58I thank you, too, to our witnesses for being here today,

05:02for your work to protect the homeland in an increased-

05:05superpowers, that we have the purpose of this choir in the homeland with a good memory.

05:09I'll see you in our news of this committee.

05:11Thank you, Mr. Strong, for being here today.

05:13Thank you, Mr. Strong, for being here today.

05:15Thanks, Mr. Strong.

05:17Good to see you in the next few minutes after the

“Makes America Less Safe”: Kennedy Demands Noem’s Resignation in Explosive Hearing | APT

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