FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a press conference, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Aude Guerrucci/File Photo
Following the deadly flooding that areas of Central Texas suffered over the 4th of July Weekend, President Donald Trump seems to be backing down from his proposal to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — at least for the time being.
But Salon's Amanda Marcotte, in an article published on July 14, emphasizes that hatred of FEMA runs deep on the far right. And she cites Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as a prime example.
"Noem isn't giving up the dream of ending the federal agency," Marcotte warns. "Sending innocent people to wither away in foreign gulags has been Noem's top priority at DHS, but she seems to be nearly as excited about cutting off aid to Americans who are suffering from natural disasters. In February, she declared her intent to 'get rid of FEMA the way it exists today.' In March, Politico reported that Noem plans to subject FEMA to the 'chopping block.'"
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The Salon journalist continues, "Those plans haven't changed. This week, she reiterated that FEMA 'fundamentally needs to go away as it exists' and called for it to be 'eliminated as it exists today.' The 'as it exists today' caveat is put there to give Noem and Trump wiggle room, but make no mistake: Their goal is to destroy the system of disaster relief that Americans depend on, especially as climate change worsens."
Marcotte observes that "white supremacist conspiracy theories" over FEMA existed long before today's "paranoid MAGA conspiracist bubble."
"The history of conspiracy theories about FEMA goes back to the agency's founding under President Jimmy Carter in 1979," Marcotte explains. "Far-right groups immediately started circulating rumors that FEMA's disaster relief mission was a cover story for the true goal: Rounding up white Christians into concentration camps, so the 'globalists' — read: Jews, people of color, feminists, queer people — could impose the 'New World Order.' As usual with racist conspiracists, the psychological motivation is a combination of sublimated shame and defensiveness, manifesting in a victim complex. In the imagination of right-wingers, the 'real' victims are white Christians, and it's the people who were once subjected to slavery, concentration camps and genocide who are the oppressors."
Marcotte continues, "At the center of the conspiracy theory is this concept of 'FEMA camps.' The claim is that FEMA will pretend to be setting up emergency relief stations, but really, they're laying groundwork for prison camps for white Christians."
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Marcotte cautions against believing that Trump is really giving up on abolishing FEMA.
"First things first: Mainstream media reports that Donald Trump has 'backed away' or 'scrapped' plans to destroy the Federal Emergency Management Agency are greatly exaggerated," Marcotte laments. "Trump is just doing what he always does when faced with intense public scrutiny of his unpopular positions: Lying. As usual, he will go right back to doing the bad thing as soon as the news cycle moves on to something else."
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Amanda Marcotte's full article for Salon is available at this link.