Texas is drowning, and not just from floodwaters. The federal response, led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, has drawn sharp criticism for being sluggish and disorganized, echoing the chaos of Hurricane Katrina.

According to NewsNation, devastating floods in Texas have exposed serious flaws in FEMA's operations under Noem's leadership. The Houston Chronicle's editorial board didn't hold back, sarcastically noting, "Heck of a job, Secretary Noem," a biting callback to the failed response during Katrina.

Local volunteers have reportedly stepped in where federal aid lagged, with response times criticized as abysmal and hotline support virtually nonexistent. Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, have called for Noem's resignation, branding her handling of the crisis "an absolute disgrace."

FEMA's Leadership Under Fire for Delays

Markey's demand for accountability isn't just political theater; it points to a deeper issue with FEMA's current direction under Noem and President Donald Trump. Reports indicate that David Richardson, the acting head of FEMA, lacks any disaster response experience, a stark violation of post-Katrina laws if he weren't in an interim role.

Richardson has also been conspicuously absent, making no public statements for over a week after the floods struck. This silence, paired with a 25% staff reduction since Trump took office, paints a picture of an agency gutted and unprepared.

Noem, for her part, has dismissed the criticism as "fake news" during a "Fox and Friends" appearance, insisting the response was immediate. Her defiance might rally some, but when locals in Travis County report seeing just one FEMA official on the ground, her words ring hollow.

State vs. Federal: A Misguided Power Shift

The administration's vision, as articulated by Noem at the Hill Nation Summit, is to empower states over a centralized FEMA, slashing through what she calls "bureaucratic red tape" from the prior administration. She claims millions were pre-deployed to Texas, yet stories of delayed approvals and minimal federal presence suggest otherwise.

Trump's ally, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, backs this push for a "rightsized" FEMA, arguing locals know best how to handle disasters. But former FEMA officials like Rafael Lemaitre counter that this is already how the agency operates, supporting states only when their capacity is exceeded.

Lemaitre warns that undoing post-Katrina reforms risks repeating past failures, a concern amplified by reports of Noem personally approving expenditures over $100,000, causing delays like the 72-hour wait for aid in Kerr County. Micromanagement at this level, as ex-HUD official Candace Valenzuela noted, reeks of either incompetence or selective prioritization.

Ground-Level Impact Tells the Real Story

In far western Travis County, where floods claimed over a dozen lives, local judge Andy Brown declared a disaster immediately, yet federal approval from Trump took nearly a week. As of Tuesday, Brown had seen scant FEMA presence, with no accessible stations for residents to seek help or apply for aid.

This isn't just a logistical hiccup; it's a betrayal of communities reeling from loss. Hundreds of call center contractors were cut after the floods, further crippling outreach when people needed it most.

Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has pushed back, calling negative reports "lies" and touting a swift deployment of 311 staffers to shelter hundreds. But when the reality on the ground shows otherwise, such claims sound more like spin than substance.

Rebuilding Trust Amid Rising Waters

The Texas flooding crisis isn't just about water; it's about a federal agency adrift under leadership that seems more focused on optics than action. While Noem and her team insist on a leaner, state-driven FEMA, the evidence suggests this shift is leaving vulnerable Americans to fend for themselves.

Critics across the spectrum, from Democratic senators to local officials, are sounding alarms, and even Republican voices like Abbott concede the need for a nimbler response. Yet, if FEMA continues to shrink while disasters grow in frequency and severity, the cost will be measured in lives, not just dollars.

The administration must decide if it values ideological posturing over practical aid, because Texans, and indeed all Americans, deserve a safety net that doesn't dissolve when the rain comes. Let's hope this wake-up call prompts real change before the next storm hits.