The Senate On Saturday, South Dakota Gov. voted. Kristi calls as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, making her the president’s fourth Donald Trumps nominees to win chamber approval.
The vote was 59-34, with all Republicans present and seven Democrats voting yes. NOEM was expected to be comfortably confirmed, having had no significant issues during her confirmation hearing. Her nomination passed by a vote of 13-2 from the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. Only two Democrats voted against her there.
NOEM will be the president’s fourth Donald Trumps Picks to be confirmed, behind Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Kristi Noem Beats the Senate Confirmation Hurdle and Advances to the Final Vote for the DHS Role
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noom will lead the Department of Homeland Security at a time when securing the border and tackling illegal immigration are top priorities for the new administration. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty images)
NOEM will lead the department at a time when securing the border and addressing… illegal immigration are top priorities for the new administration. The administration has taken a number of actions to secure the border, including deploying the military, restarting wall construction and ending Biden-era conditional programs.
Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has launched deportation operations across the country to fulfill Trump’s promise of a “historic” operation.
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a slew of memos since Trump’s inauguration, ordering parole reviews and expanding officials’ ability to quickly deport U.S. illegal immigrants who have recently arrived. Those memos were signed by Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman.
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During her confirmation hearing, NOEM pointed to other parts of the Mission Security mission, including cybersecurity, disaster response and counterterrorism.
As governor of South Dakota, Kristi NOEM promised in 2021 not to take any more migrants from the Biden administration and also to deploy the National Guard to the border in Texas. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty images)
“We must be vigilant and proactive and innovative to protect the homeland,” she said. “The challenges ahead are extremely important and we must secure our borders against illegal human trafficking and immigration. We must protect our critical infrastructure to ensure we are protected from cyber attacks, responding to natural disasters and also terrorism.”
However, she emphasized that border security is a “top priority.”
Ice has made a number of forays into the US this week. (X/ @billmelugin_)
“As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would harm us. And we must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient, effective, and that reflects our values,” she said.
As governor, she promised not to take any more migrants from the Biden administration in 2021 and also deployed the National Guard to the border in Texas. She also had experience in disaster response, working with federal officials to address flooding that hit the state in June.
During her hearing, NOEM was also asked how it would work with Border Czar Tom Homan, who has been tapped to lead the deportation effort and secure the border.
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NOEM responded Saying that she and Homan “work very well together and talk and communicate all the time. And we will work together on a daily basis when we are in our positions under the new administration. And I would say that no authority is planned to take over the department or myself to take away when I’m in the role.”
Julia Johnson of Fox News contributed to this report.
