Sen. Markwayne Mullin told senators Wednesday that he plans on ending Kristi Noem’s spending policy, which delayed disaster aid, if confirmed to replace her as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Prompted by a question by Democratic Sen. Andy Kim at his confirmation hearing, Mullin said that he would “absolutely” end the policy, calling it “micromanaging.” The policy, instituted by Noem last year, required that she personally approve all agency expenses of $100,000 or more before the funds were disbursed.
“I don’t know if the secretary put that in or someone else did. I’m not a micromanager. We put people in. We empower them to make decisions. What is required to come in to my level, we’ll make decisions,” Mullin said. “We will have a very clear line of communication with every one of our agency’s heads on their authority that is given to you, or that you gave to them within their parameters. And we’ll discuss, but we’re also going to be very responsible for the taxpayer dollars.”