The United States Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security on Saturday, putting the Governor of South Dakota at the helm of a vast agency that is essential for national security and President Donald Trump’s plans to curb unauthorized immigration.
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The Republicans kept the Senate working on Saturday to confirm the last member of Trump's national security team with a 59-34 vote.
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was confirmed in a dramatic tie-breaking vote on Friday night, joining Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The Senate will vote next Monday night on the confirmation of Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary.
Noem, a Trump ally who is in her second term as governor, received seven votes from Democrats. Republicans, who already have the necessary votes to confirm her, have also expressed confidence in her determination to lead border security and immigration law enforcement.
In a subsequent statement, they committed to "securing our southern border and fixing our broken immigration system" while working to "detect and prevent terrorist threats and provide rapid assistance and relief in disasters to Americans in crisis."
Noem was scheduled to be sworn in by Vice President JD Vance on Saturday afternoon, but it was canceled after she was delayed, according to a person familiar with the events who was not authorized to discuss them and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Secretary of Homeland Security oversees the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In addition to these agencies, the department is also responsible for securing air transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters, and more.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said on Friday that "resolving this crisis and restoring respect for the rule of law is one of President Trump and the Republicans' top priorities. And it will require a decisive and committed leader at the Department of Homeland Security. I believe Kristi has everything needed to take on this task."
Democrats are divided on how to handle the implementation of the border law and immigration laws under Trump's command, and some have taken an interest in his hardline stance.
However, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer from New York, like most Democrats, said he will vote against Noem. He mentioned "bipartisan solutions to fix the chaos at our border," adding that Noem "seems to be heading in the wrong direction."
Trump is planning major changes in how the department operates, including military involvement to enforce immigration law and restructuring the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These plans could immediately put Noem in the spotlight after the new president recently visited disaster sites in North Carolina and California on Friday.
During her Senate hearing, Democratic senators repeatedly asked Noem if she would administer disaster aid to states even if Trump asked her not to do so.
Noem avoided saying that she will challenge the president, but she told lawmakers: "I will manage the programs according to the law and it will be done without political bias."
Six people served as National Security Advisors during Trump's first four years in office.
Noem, who held the only seat in the United States House of Representatives in her state for eight years before becoming governor in 2019, has risen in the Republican Party by closely aligning herself with Trump. At one point, she was even considered as a potential running mate.
However, his political value suffered a momentary decline when he published a book last year that contained a story of how he killed his hunting dog, as well as a false claim that he once met with North Korean President Kim Jong Un.
After her confirmation, she was replaced as governor of South Dakota by Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden, a rancher and former member of the state House of Representatives who was elected alongside Noem in 2018.
Noem will have the task of fulfilling Trump's favorite topic: border security. The president's goals of deporting millions of individuals who entered the country without legal authorization could put Noem, with her experience governing a rural state and growing up on a farm, in a difficult position. In South Dakota, many immigrants, some of them in the country without permanent legal status, perform jobs that require a lot of labor and produce food and housing.
So far, he has committed to faithfully executing the president's orders and has echoed his speech about an "invasion" at the United States-Mexico border.
Noem joined other Republican governors who sent National Guard troops to Texas to assist in Operation Lone Star, which aimed to deter immigrants. Her decision was particularly criticized because she accepted a $1 million donation from a Tennessee billionaire to cover part of the deployment cost.
He said he chose to send National Guard troops "because of this invasion," and added that "down there it's a war zone."