Mullin Pledges to Reverse Noem FEMA Spending Rule and Rejects Eliminating Agency

At his March 19, 2026 Senate confirmation hearing to become Homeland Security Secretary, Sen. Markwayne Mullin laid out a notably softer FEMA posture than outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem, explicitly rejecting the idea of eliminating the agency and promising to roll back some of her most controversial controls. Mullin told colleagues he would revoke Noem’s directive requiring the secretary’s personal sign‑off on FEMA expenditures over $100,000, a rule that lawmakers in both parties said hamstrung disaster response, and vowed to speed reimbursements to states and localities and better serve rural communities. He framed FEMA as locally led and federally supported, saying that taking months or years to reimburse disaster‑hit jurisdictions is “not acceptable,” while indicating he is already vetting candidates for a permanent FEMA administrator after a string of acting leaders. Former FEMA administrators Deanne Criswell and Pete Gaynor, who served under Biden and Trump respectively, cautiously welcomed his remarks as an “impressive and meaningful first step” away from the upheaval, staff reductions and delayed declarations that marked Noem’s tenure. The hearing comes as a long‑promised Trump‑appointed FEMA Review Council report on potential agency overhaul remains months overdue, leaving state and local officials on edge about how far this administration might eventually go in shrinking or reshaping federal disaster support.