Noem swipes at Democrats over DHS shutdown after DC emergency declaration for Potomac spill

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday targeted Democratic lawmakers over their continued refusal to back a funding package for the department in an update about the waste cleanup effort in the Potomac River.

Earlier Saturday, President Trump approved Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s (D) request for federal disaster assistance as the nation’s capital works to clean-up the river following a sewer line collapse.

“Even as Democrat politicians shut us down and these men and women go without pay, DHS is committed to providing much needed aid to the Americans impacted by this disaster,” Noem posted on the social platform X. “We will not let our citizens suffer without help.”

Noem’s criticism comes amid a DHS shutdown, after a funding vote for the department failed to pass the House earlier this month. Democrats called for Noem to step down from her role and have said they will not support funding for the department until several key reform demands are met to curtail federal agents’ use of force during immigration enforcement operations across the country.

The Trump administration ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address a devastating sewage spill in the waterway.

Noem said that she is working closely with EPA Director Lee Zeldin to coordinate these efforts. FEMA falls under the jurisdiction of DHS.

“FEMA is deploying a team to support incident management, working directly with local officials and federal partners to coordinate federal resources,” Noem said. “EPA will lead the federal response while @DHSgov and FEMA leverage all our resources to ensure the cleanup is swift and effective.”

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