From the NYTimes: Extra Scrutiny of FEMA Aid to States Has Created a $17 Billion Bottleneck,  Additional layers of review ordered by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, have slowed assistance to disaster-struck communities.

“About $17 billion in federal disaster funds for states is getting an extra layer of review by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, causing unusual delays in payments, according to internal Federal Emergency Management Agency documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The delays stem from a directive issued by Ms. Noem in June that said any expenditure of $100,000 or more must be approved by her office, which oversees the disaster agency, to root out “waste, fraud and abuse.”

The bottleneck includes money that had already been approved by regional FEMA offices for things like debris removal and repairs to roads, bridges and water and sewer systems.”