After facing criticism from both sides of the aisle over her handling of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and repeated calls for impeachment over her leadership of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Kristi Noem is out at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). But it doesn’t look like her handling of FEMA or ICE led to the decision — though that probably didn’t help. In the end, it was a $220 million ad campaign that promotes not DHS but rather Kristi Noem. 

One might easily mistake the ad for a 2028 presidential campaign spot, given how prominently she is featured. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) certainly made that insinuation during Noem’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Tuesday. And the real kicker was that Trump claims he “never knew anything about” the ad, and the firm that produced it is owned by the husband of a former DHS spokesperson.

The idea that Noem spent $220 million to promote Kristi Noem while holding up federal disaster aid requests over $100K — something Kennedy brought up during questioning— tells the American public everything they need to know about Noem’s tenure. But don’t worry, she’s already found a new place in the administration as a special envoy to a new foreign policy group focused on relations in the Western hemisphere.

The question is, can new leadership at DHS help FEMA?  Last week, Trump nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Ok.) to replace Noem.  Mullin has served as Oklahoma’s junior senator since 2023 and previously represented Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2023. Being located in America’s “Tornado Alley,” Oklahoma has had its share of disasters, and Mullin addressed FEMA directly in 2024, saying “it’s imperative the federal government steps in” to help communities after a string of tornadoes caused damage in the state. In a 2024 Fox News segment, Mullin told reporters that locals can respond better to disasters than FEMA can, while complaining about funding delays. 

Some of what Mullins is saying is backed by research showing that local community-led preparedness and response initiatives can help during the zero-hour period, when external resources have not yet been deployed. The administration, however, can easily manipulate this message to fit its current agenda of shifting all responsibility onto state and local governments. One can hope that being on the receiving end of federal disaster assistance will put Mullin squarely in the “reform” rather than “eradicate FEMA” camp. (His hawkish comments on ICE and immigration, however, are concerning, aligning him squarely with Noem.)

If anything, Mullin can learn from Noem’s departure that public service should be prioritized over personal ambition — not that other members of the president’s past and current cabinets have received that memo. His past experience with FEMA gives him the unique insight into the agency’s challenges, but it’s too soon to tell whether he will do a better job as Secretary at DHS. As the public has learned with Trump, situations can change rapidly from week to week, and cabinet nominees often say one thing and do another. Until Mullin’s actions speak louder than his words, the fate of federal disaster relief remains an open question for America’s disaster-stricken communities.