Home / Business and Economy / DHS Spending Rule Rescinded: Disaster Aid Bottleneck Ends
DHS Spending Rule Rescinded: Disaster Aid Bottleneck Ends
2 Apr
Summary
- Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin overturned a $100,000 spending approval rule.
- The rescinded policy, implemented by Kristi Noem, had burdened disaster response efforts.
- At least 1,000 FEMA contracts and reimbursements were delayed by the previous rule.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has rescinded a directive that mandated personal approval for DHS expenditures exceeding $100,000. This policy, established by former Secretary Kristi Noem, had drawn criticism for impeding the work of agencies like FEMA.
Mullin's decision, his first major change since taking office, aims to streamline contracting and improve aid allocation efficiency. The previous rule had created significant delays, with a report indicating over 1,000 FEMA contracts, grants, or reimbursements were held up by September.
This action is expected to alleviate a spending bottleneck that affected disaster response and recovery funds. Organizations like the International Association of Emergency Managers have praised the move for its common-sense approach to resource management.
The rescinded policy had also been linked to issues such as unstaffed call centers and delayed deployment of critical response teams. Approximately $2.2 billion in recovery and mitigation dollars were pending approval under the old system.
