Kerrville city manager reportedly referred to Kristi Noem as ‘Homeland Barbie’ in text messages

After federal officials flocked to the Texas Hill Country following early July’s deadly floods, Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice appeared none too impressed with Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem.

Text messages obtained by TV station KSAT reveal Rice referred to Noem as “Homeland Barbie,” a nickname political opponents have frequently used to mock the former South Dakota governor for her lack of law-enforcement and emergency-response experience. Critics have also accused the president of selecting Noem and other cabinet members based in large part on their TV-ready appearances.

Rice took part in a July 5 press conference with Noem and other federal, state and local officials to discuss search and rescue efforts after the flood, which devastated portions of his Hill Country town, resulting in more than 100 deaths. Hours after the gathering, a city staffer sent Rice a message reading, “Just saw you met Homeland Barbi[sic], how is she?!?!?!” the text chain obtained by KSAT shows.

“Beahahaha basically homeland Barbie,” Rice fired back, according to the TV station.

Rice didn’t respond to KSAT’s email asking him for comment on texts the station obtained showing his communications from July 3-5. The station also didn’t report on any additional messages in which Rice appeared to mock Noem. 

With regard to the Central Texas floods, Noem has come under fire for implementing a new rule requiring her to personally approve major expenditures by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which critics charge created a three-day delay in the agency’s deployment.

What’s more, the head of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue branch reportedly resigned over his frustration with the agency’s sluggish response to the devastation in the Lone Star State.

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This article appears in Jul 23 – Aug 6, 2025.