Weekly Memo from Progress NC Action, Jan 30, 2026

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The Weekly Memo is an email from Progress NC Action featuring messaging, talking points, and links of interest for the week ahead.

Trump’s DHS Is a Direct Threat to Public Safety

When the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established in 2002, the goal was simple: to keep Americans safe. DHS includes everything from ICE to FEMA, border security to disaster recovery– 22 agencies all united under one mission of ensuring Americans’ security.

But under Trump, DHS has become a direct threat to public safety. Rushed recruitment, poor training, and a bloated budget have resulted in ICE becoming a reckless, lawless, violently incompetent organization. And FEMA has become so burdened by new regulations that the agency can’t get disaster aid to the communities who need it most.

DHS has reached a breaking point. Last weekend, federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a nurse who was peacefully observing deportation operations in the streets of Minneapolis. This is the second murder we’ve seen carried out by Trump’s Department of Homeland Security this month. It’s the culmination of this administration’s violent deportation and intimidation campaign– one that’s resulted in children being abducted, businesses being shuttered, and communities being torn apart.

North Carolina experienced DHS’s reckless tactics in November. We watched as U.S. citizens were profiled based on their race– their car windows smashed, their churches stormed, and their schools threatened.

North Carolina has firsthand experience with FEMA’s issues too. Under Trump, FEMA has experienced unprecedented delays in getting disaster relief funding to the states who need it most. According to Gov. Stein, North Carolina has received less than 12% of expected federal recovery funds about 16 months after Hurricane Helene.

When Trump’s DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem, took over FEMA, she began cutting staff and adding more red tape. Additional layers of review ordered by Noem, like that she must personally sign off on all checks over $100,000, have slowed aid distribution. All in all, Noem’s staffing cuts and regulations have resulted in a $17 billion bottleneck for FEMA in distributing disaster relief. No wonder Western North Carolina has only received a fraction of the funding they need to fully rebuild.

FEMA’s not just seeing delays in distributing aid, they’re having to cut some aid altogether. Families in Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene are being forced out of FEMA-provided homes, with many residents receiving sudden eviction notices.

Things are tough right now, but we have an opportunity to change course. Crucial negotiations over the future of DHS are currently taking place in the Senate. North Carolina legislators, particularly Senator Thom Tillis, could provide the deciding vote.

Tillis has already been outspoken about his opposition to Noem. “What she’s done in Minnesota should be disqualifying,” Tillis told reporters. “She should be out of a job. It’s just amateur-ish. It’s terrible.” More constituent calls to his office, more emails to his inbox, could provide the nudge necessary for Tillis to vote for legislation that could bring real change to DHS.

This is a pivotal moment for our country, and you can be the difference between reform and escalation. We’ve moved our legislators before, and we can do it again.

By making a quick phone call or sending a short email, you can convince lawmakers that enough is enough– we must stop throwing money at a broken DHS. You can call Sen. Tillis’ office at 202-224-6342, or visit our website to send him an email. Together, we can begin holding this administration accountable and return DHS to its original intent– protecting and rebuilding our communities, not tearing them apart.

Matt Schlosser
Friday, January 30, 2026

To view the web version of this email, visit https://progressncaction.org/blog/