Internal security secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday that she was in favor of getting rid of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in its current form.
“I would say, yes, to rid the FEMA of the way it exists today,” said Noem in an interview on “the state of the union” of CNN.
“We still need resources and funds and finances to go to people who have these types of disasters like Hurricane Helene and fires in California,” she added.
Noem said President Donald Trump “can, and I think he will do this assessment with his team”, adding that he will work with the Congress “to make sure that he is” done correctly “.
His remarks come as Trump explored getting rid of fema Following several natural disasters – including Hurricane Helene in North Carolina and devastating California forest fires in the Los Angeles region – which have tormented the United States in recent weeks and months.
During a visit to North Carolina in January, Trump told journalists: “I will also sign a decree to start the process of reform and fundamentally revision of FEMA, or perhaps get rid of FEMA. »»
Also in the state, the president said that he promotes “probably less the fema, because the fema simply did not do the job. And we look at the whole concept of fema. »»
Sunday, asked by CNN to confirm the reports in The WASHINGTON Post that Elon Musk and his team in the government’s efficiency department, or DOGE, had access to data on FEMA disasters, including sensitive personal data on disaster victims, said Noem: “The president authorized (musk) to have access. “
“We work with them in the direction of the president to find what we can do to make our department much more effective,” said Noem, adding that she feels “absolutely” comfortable with this.
Noem also talked about Trump administration‘s plans to accommodate migrants In Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
While the administration currently plans to house violent offenders in Guantanamo, Noem has not excluded the accommodation for non -violent offenders in the establishment, saying: “We will have installations that will be up to the same standards as D ‘Other detention facilities in the United States. And I don’t think the president will tie his hands on what to do to make sure America is safe. »»
Although the project to build temporary detention facilities in Guantanamo is still in progress, Noem added that it planned to be able to house up to 30,000 migrants.
Last week, in an interview on NBC News “Meet the Press” Noem dodged several questions On the question of whether women and children would be accommodated in Guantanamo, not to exclude it.
Sunday, in response to CNN questions on the question of whether she is comfortable with the legality of bringing people from our soil to Guantanamo, Noem said: “I am, and the president is comfortable With that. “
She would not engage in a calendar to hold people before being returned to their country of origin.