South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, the firebrand who gained a national spotlight during the coronavirus pandemic, was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Noem won confirmation in a 59-34 vote, making her the fourth person confirmed to Trump’s cabinet. Pete Hegseth was confirmed as defense secretary just hours earlier.
In a statement released by the department, Secretary Noem said she will work “every day” to keep Americans “safe and secure.”
“The Trump Administration will once-again empower our brave men and women in law enforcement to do their jobs and remove criminal aliens and illegal gangs from our country,” she said in a statement on Saturday. “We will fully equip our intelligence and law enforcement to detect and prevent terror threats and will deliver rapid assistance and disaster relief to Americans in crisis.”
Noem thanked the president for the opportunity to serve and said she wants to achieve the president’s mandate “to secure our southern border and fix our broken immigration system.”
During her confirmation hearing, Noem said the southern border is “not secure” and that she will help to fix it.
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security nominee Kristi Noem arrives for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Kenny Holston, Pool via Getty Images
“President Trump needs to achieve this mission because two-thirds of Americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of Hispanic Americans,” Noem said in her opening statement. “I was the first governor to send National Guard troops to our southern border when Texas asked for help and when they were being overwhelmed by an unprecedented border crisis. If confirmed as secretary, I’ll ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary Border Patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support that they need to carry out their mission.”
The Department of Homeland Security already shut down the CBP One app, which allowed migrants to make appointments at the border to claim asylum — something Noem promised the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee she’d do.
Noem will oversee 22 agencies with more than 260,000 employees who work on issues ranging from the border to federal disaster management to the Secret Service.
In this Oct. 14, 2024, file photo, Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump reacts with South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after dancing to the song “Y.M.C.A.” at a campaign town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, in Oaks, Pa.
Alex Brandon/AP, FILE
“As secretary, I will oversee the Secret Service, an agency that is in serious need of reforms. We all saw the threats to President-elect Trump last year and the consequences of failure,” Noem said. “Now, that should never happen again, and I’ve worked closely with my own gubernatorial protective detail, and I’m familiar with what works and what doesn’t work, and I’ll bring that experience towards strengthening the Secret Service.”
The incoming secretary said she will follow the law and implement reforms with no political bias, including with regard to disaster relief.
She added that “if given the chance to be secretary of homeland security, that I will deliver the programs according to the law and that it will be done with no political bias.”
