Native Vote 2026. Former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), who is running to be the next governor of New Mexico, on Friday sharply criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for withholding more than $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief funds from New Mexico, according to a report from NOTUS.
The report comes as Noem has also drawn criticism for aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in New Mexico communities, actions Haaland says are putting residents at risk while urgently needed disaster preparedness funding remains stalled.
Among the projects delayed is wildfire mitigation funding for Los Alamos, home to Los Alamos National Laboratory, one of the state’s largest employers with nearly 18,000 workers. The area faces increasing wildfire threats as climate-driven disasters intensify across the Southwest.
Haaland, who previously served as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has firsthand experience with the consequences of delayed disaster response. She visited the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire burn scar near Las Vegas, New Mexico, following the state’s largest wildfire, and delivered supplies to first responders after devastating floods in Ruidoso.
In response to the NOTUS report, Haaland issued a statement condemning Noem’s leadership:
“Every day Kristi Noem leads the Department of Homeland Security, Americans are less safe,” Haaland said. “Not only is she perpetuating false narratives about violence against law-abiding people, she is withholding critical funds that allow New Mexicans to recover from and prepare for natural disasters. Secretary Noem’s incompetence is a liability and a failure of leadership. She should step down.”
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