Homeland Security Chief Rescinds Noem’s Centralized Spending‑Approval Rule

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Wednesday rescinded a Kristi Noem‑era directive that required his office to personally approve all DHS expenditures over $100,000, effectively ending a bottleneck that critics said hampered FEMA’s ability to move money quickly for disaster response and recovery. The rule had concentrated routine procurement and grant decisions in the secretary’s suite, prompting complaints from career officials and outside emergency‑management experts that it slowed field operations and politicized spending decisions. Mullin’s reversal comes amid a record‑long DHS shutdown and intensifying scrutiny of how the department manages both basic payroll and emergency funds. On social media, FEMA veterans and state officials are welcoming the move as a return to more normal delegation of authority, while watchdogs caution that oversight will now hinge on internal controls rather than a single choke point. The decision underscores how some of Noem’s more centralized management experiments are being unwound as the new secretary confronts both war‑related demands and domestic disasters.