The Department of Homeland Security secretary defended the federal government's response and denied that policy changes slowed the agency's deployment.

The homeland security secretary said a report that thousands of calls to a disaster hotline went unanswered because of staffing cuts was “false.”

It’s discouraging that during this time when we have such a loss of life, and so many people’s lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this,” Noem told NBC's Kristen Welker.