Kristi Noem confirmed by US Senate to head Department of Homeland Security
Kristi Noem confirmed by US Senate to head Department of Homeland Security
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South Dakota governor will take on Trump’s anti-immigration mission, air travel and natural disasters. The US Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary on Saturday, putting the South Dakota governor in charge of a sprawling agency that is essential to national security and Donald Trump’s plans to clamp down on illegal immigration during his second presidency.
Republicans kept the Senate working on Saturday to install the latest member of Trump’s national security team. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth was confirmed in a dramatic tie-breaking vote Friday night, joining the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the CIA director, John Ratcliffe. The Senate will next vote on Monday evening on Scott Bessent’s confirmation as treasury secretary.
Noem, a Trump ally who is in her second term as governor, received some support from Democrats on the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee when it voted 13-2 to advance her nomination earlier in the week. Republicans, who already hold the votes necessary to confirm her, have also expressed confidence in her determination to lead border security and immigration enforcement.
“Fixing this crisis and restoring respect for the rule of law is one of President Trump and Republicans’ top priorities,” the GOP Senate majority leader, John Thune of South Dakota, said on Friday. “And it’s going to require a decisive and committed leader at the Department of Homeland Security. I believe Kristi has everything it takes to undertake this task.”.
