FEMA provides funds to governments and individuals to rebuild after natural disasters, but Trump has criticized it for being too slow and costly.

Political tensions and questions swirling around the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promise to be a key test for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) as she takes over the department that houses the agency.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, vowed to overhaul FEMA's disaster response times, enforce stricter in-office policies and eliminate political bias in relief efforts during her confirmation hearing.

Governors and state legislatures may have to bolster their natural disaster response and recovery efforts in the coming years as President Donald Trump looks for ways to shift the federal government’s role onto states.

The Senate voted on Saturday to confirm Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, putting a former South Dakota governor in charge of the department at the heart of President Trump’s agenda to crack down on immigration. The vote was 59 to 34, and she was sworn-in on Saturday afternoon by the Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Kristi Noem​, Trump's pick to lead the sprawling Department of Homeland Security, took questions from lawmakers on border policies and disaster relief.

If confirmed, Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, would take office as wildfires ravage California. Both Trump and Noem have placed the blame for the devastating fires on Gov. Gavin Newsom ...

The US Senate on Saturday confirmed South Dakota governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a key agency in President Donald Trump's push to clamp down on illegal immigration.

Trump orders a review with the goal of an "immediate, effective, and impartial response," but critics say heʻs politicizing disaster aid.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem during her Senate confirmation hearing to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security pledged that she would not politicize FEMA aid depending on the state, and said that she would provide U.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is heading towards a vote on confirming South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, placing her at the head of a sprawling agency that will be essential to both national security and President Donald Trump's plans to squash illegal immigration.

If passed, the bill would require the U.S. Congress to formally declare war to deploy South Dakota National Guard members.