Senate confirmed Kristi Noem By a 59-34 vote Saturday as Homeland Security secretary, the former South Dakota governor is put in charge of a vast agency that is essential to national security and President Donald Trump's plans. crack down on illegal immigration,
Republicans tasked the Senate on Saturday with installing the newest member of Trump's national security team. Secretary of Defense pete hegseth Confirmed Friday night, joined by the Secretary of State marco rubio and CIA director John RatcliffeThe Senate next votes on Monday evening scott besant Confirmed as Treasury Secretary.
NOEM resigned from his position as Governor of South Dakota shortly after his confirmation. She was in her second term and served six years in the role. His lieutenant governor, Larry Rhoden, is now the state's 34th governor.
Noem, a Trump ally, received some support from Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, when she voted 13-2 advance his nomination Earlier in the week. Republicans, who already have the votes needed to confirm him, expressed confidence in his determination to lead. border security and immigration enforcement.
“Fixing this crisis and restoring respect for the rule of law is one of the top priorities for President Trump and Republicans,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Friday. “And it requires a decisive and committed leader at the Department of Homeland Security. I believe Christie has what it takes to do this job.”
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Democrats were divided over how to handle border enforcement and immigration under Trump, with some warming to his hard-line stands.
Nevertheless, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he would vote against Noem. He pointed to “bipartisan solutions to fix the mess at our border,” adding that Noem “has been headed in the wrong direction.”
The Secretary of Homeland Security oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Beyond those agencies, the department is also responsible for securing airline transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters and more.
Trump is planning major changes to how the department functions, including involving the military in immigration enforcement and reshaping the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those plans could immediately put NOEM in the spotlight after Friday's visit to recent disaster sites in North Carolina and California.
During her Senate hearing, NOEM was repeatedly asked by Democratic senators whether she would provide disaster aid to states, even though Trump did not ask her.
Noem avoided saying she would defy the president, but she told lawmakers, “I will deliver programs according to the law and it will be done without any political bias.”
Six people cycled as Secretary of Homeland Security during Trump's first four years in office.
Noem, who held her state's lone US House seat for eight years before becoming governor in 2019, has surged in the GOP by dealing closely with Trump. At one point, she was even under consideration to be his running mate.
His political stock took a momentary dip, however, when he released a book last year that contained an account of killing his hunting dog, as well as a false claim that he once met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Had met together.
If confirmed, he would be tasked with delivering on Trump's favorite issue, border security. The president's goals of deporting millions of people who entered the country illegally put Noem, with her experience governing a rural state and growing up on a farm, in a difficult situation. In South Dakota, many immigrants, some without permanent legal status in the country, power labor-heavy jobs that produce food and shelter.
He has so far promised to faithfully execute the president's orders and has echoed his talk of an “invasion” of the US border with Mexico.
NOEM joined other Republican governors in sending National Guard troops to Texas to aid Operation Lone Star, which sought to discourage emigration. His decision was particularly criticized because he accepted a $1 million donation from a Tennessee billionaire to cover some of the deployment costs.
Noem said she “chose to send National Guard troops” because of the invasion, adding that “this is a war zone.”