Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s vow to “eliminate” FEMA is raising alarms from experts on disaster assistance, who say it could leave vulnerable communities at risk. Noem

Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said in a cabinet meeting Monday she was “going to eliminate” FEMA, the government’s disaster relief agency. Noem, 53, did not provide any other specifics about her shock announcement—just that she would seek to kill the agency tasked with responding to natural disasters and emergencies.

A recent statement by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has triggered a wave of reactions across the country, including here in Vermont. In the cabinet meeting, Noem asserted, “We are going to eliminate FEMA.