The Senate confirmed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary on Saturday with bipartisan support, a key position in the Trump administration’s mandate to secure the border.
Noem was confirmed on Nov. 25 in a 59–34 vote on Jan. 25.
The two-term Republican governor, known for her tough stance on illegal immigration, received little pushback during her appearance before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 17.
“Border security must remain a top priority,” she said. “As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm. And we must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective and reflects our values.”
Noem appeared confident during questioning and likely benefited from connections she made on Capitol Hill during her stint as a congresswoman from 2011 to 2019.
Noem was introduced at her hearing by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, also a South Dakota Republican.
Noem said stopping what she called an invasion of illegal immigration and crime at the U.S. southern border was a top priority for her, along with deporting criminals who remain in the country unlawfully while restoring public trust in the agency.
Committee Republicans portrayed the department she hopes to take charge of as currently a rogue agency with “unchecked power” that curtails free speech and labels U.S. citizens as domestic terrorists for political dissent, instead of targeting real threats such as the ISIS terrorist group, illegal immigration, and crime.
The Department of Homeland Security oversees several key U.S. agencies aside from border and immigration enforcement. They include the Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Meanwhile, Democrats questioned Noem about whether she would politicize who gets FEMA disaster aid and whether her loyalties lie with the U.S. Constitution or Trump.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) accused Trump of refusing to give California Gov. Gavin Newsom disaster relief dollars to “put out fires” for political reasons.
Blumenthal asked if she would go along with Trump if he decided to block relief funds from governors he doesn’t like.
Noem countered that such scenarios were hypothetical and that she would not allow politics to cloud the agency’s mission.
Several Democrats representing northern border states seemed keen on getting support for more manpower and resources, which Noem said she supported.
Noem makes the fourth Cabinet nominee to be confirmed by the Senate. Former Sen. Marco Rubio was confirmed 99–0 on Jan. 21 as secretary of state. John Ratcliffe was confirmed as the new CIA director in a 74–25 vote on Jan. 23, and Pete Hegseth was confirmed as the secretary of Defense after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.
This article was originally published by The Epoch Times.
Darlene McCormick Sanchez | The Epoch Times
Darlene McCormick Sanchez is an Epoch Times reporter who covers border security and immigration, election integrity, and Texas politics.
Ms. McCormick Sanchez has 20 years of experience in media and has worked for outlets including Waco Tribune Herald, Tampa Tribune, and Waterbury Republican-American.
