‘Have More F—– Respect’: GOP Rages at Kristi Noem’s ‘Self-Promotion’ and DHS Dysfunction

Kristi Noem may have once been a rising Republican star, but on Capitol Hill, patience with her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is wearing thin — and some GOP lawmakers are no longer hiding their frustration.

At the center of the firestorm is Noem’s handling of disaster relief funding, particularly her insistence on personally reviewing every FEMA-related expense over $100,000. That decision, described by some as bureaucratic micromanagement, has jammed up billions of dollars in aid meant to help communities recover from hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.

“You would think a former member of Congress would have more f—— respect for the institution she used to serve in,” one Republican lawmaker told NOTUS. “She’s causing a lot of problems.”

That level of internal fury — the kind rarely directed so publicly at a sitting Republican cabinet member by her own party — signals how deep the resentment runs.

Noem’s tight grip on the purse strings has led to repeated delays in FEMA contracts, leaving states like North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana waiting for funding needed to rebuild after major natural disasters. Meanwhile, congressional offices complain they’re being iced out.

“They’re very slow,” said a senior Senate GOP aide. “Getting the secretary on the phone is basically impossible.”

Some Republicans accuse Noem of playing politics with the job, choosing self-promotion over the grind of governing.

“The view among Republicans on the Hill is Secretary Noem is less interested in doing the blocking and tackling of her day job than she is with promoting herself in taxpayer-funded TV commercials,” another senior GOP aide said.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), whose state is still waiting on FEMA dollars to help communities hit by Hurricane Helene, has gone as far as placing a hold on all DHS nominees.

“I’m concerned that Western North Carolina gets the support that it needs,” Budd said. “I am in communication with the secretary and have great hopes that this will be resolved.”

DHS, for its part, has pushed back — hard. A department spokesperson blamed Noem’s predecessor, Alejandro Mayorkas, for leftover dysfunction and took a swing at Congress.

“Who are these members complaining? Democrats who shut down the government?” the spokesperson said in a statement, dodging any direct response to Republican criticism.

The White House, still firmly in Noem’s corner, painted a much rosier picture of her tenure, touting “a historically secure border, safer American communities, and successful deportations of criminal illegal aliens.”

But that messaging doesn’t seem to be helping her on the Hill, where the consensus is that DHS under Noem is slow, chaotic, and increasingly detached.

“The department is going in multiple different directions,” one Republican lawmaker admitted. “Nobody wants to f— up or lose their job. So they’re being overly cautious and slow with everything.”

For members with disaster-stricken districts, that caution feels more like negligence.