WASHINGTON − South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will be the new Secretary of Homeland Security, becoming the third of President Donald Trump’s nominees to be confirmed.
Noem received the required number of votes from senators on Saturday and was confirmed by a vote of 59-34. Former Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was confirmed as Secretary of State in a unanimous vote Monday, and former Fox News host was confirmed as Secretary of Defense 51-50 on Friday night, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
The confirmation votes followed Trump’s second oath of office and less than a week after their respective committee hearings.
As the department’s new head, Noem is expected to play a key role in carrying out Trump’s campaign promise to deport unauthorized immigrants in large numbers.
Who is Kristi Noem?
Noem was serving her second term as governor of the Mount Rushmore State when Trump appointed her to a cabinet position.
Prior to becoming governor, Noem was South Dakota’s sole representative in the House of Representatives for four terms.
Noem has been a longtime supporter of Trump. She was rumored to be on his list of potential running mates for 2024.
What does the Secretary of Homeland Security do?
The Department of Homeland Security oversees several agencies, including Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While Noem and her hundreds of thousands of employees are expected to prioritize action at the southern border, where Trump has declared a national emergency, she will collaborate with the president’s border czar, Tom Homan.
What was that about a dog?
Last year, Noem came under fire for publishing her memoir, “No Going Back,” which included an anecdote about shooting her hunting dog, Cricket.
Noem’s book was also criticized for making false claims about a meeting she had with North Korea’s dictator. “Kim Jong-un was included in a list of world leaders (she’d met with) and shouldn’t have been,” Noem’s spokesperson Ian Fury told the New York Times, blaming the error and another on the book’s ghostwriter and promising to fix both in future editions.
