Kristi Noem confirmed by Senate as secretary of Dept. of Homeland Security

Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, was confirmed by the Senate on Saturday, installing a Trump ally in a key policy role.

The role is crucial to Trump’s plans for his second term. On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and impose a crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border.

As homeland security secretary, Noem will lead a sprawling federal department with a $60 billion budget and more than 230,000 employees, tasked with implementing Trump’s ambitious efforts to overhaul the federal response to immigration and disaster-related issues.

In his first week as president, Trump has taken several steps intended to curb immigration.

Hours after being sworn in, the president also signed an order to end birthright citizenship (being challenged in court) and declared a national emergency at the southern border to surge federal resources – including help from DHS and the military – to the region.

Noem also could be part of Trump’s mission to shake up government operations. Trump on Friday also proposed overhauling the Federal Emergency Management Agency or eliminating DHS’s subdepartment altogether.

Additionally, DHS oversees the federal response to anti-terrorism work and cybersecurity. It also houses the Secret Service, which has been under scrutiny since the attempted assassination of Trump at a campaign rally in July.

Noem brings less relevant experience to the Cabinet job than recent homeland security secretaries, including those who served during Trump’s first term. Trump’s first homeland security secretary, John F. Kelly, was appointed after he led the U.S. Southern Command, a military leadership position overseeing operations in Central and South America.

Noem was confirmed in a 59-34 vote. Every Senate Republican on Saturday voted in favor of confirming Noem. Seven Senate Democrats also voted in support of her confirmation: John Fetterman (Pa.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Andy Kim (N.J.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) and Elissa Slotkin (Mich.).

Kim said in a statement that despite strong disagreements with Noem on several parts of Trump’s agenda, he voted in favor of her confirmation because she agreed “to communicate and work together through the Homeland Security Committee” to address the concerns of his constituency.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said on X that he voted against Noem because she refused to answer his questions, writing, “I’m not confident she will carry out her duties in a way that respects the rule of law.”

After voting against Noem’s confirmation, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., wrote on X, “Our immigration system is in desperate need of reform – but it won’t be fixed by organized acts of cruelty. We need a DHS Secretary who puts the rule of law and constitution first – not the caprice of the President.”

Noem’s confirmation comes a day after Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to serve as defense secretary, was confirmed 51-50, after Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote. On Saturday morning, Vance swore in Hegseth in his new post.

Hegseth’s confirmation process dredged up allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement. Hegseth steadily and vigorously denied any wrongdoing, but on Friday night, three Republicans – Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.) – joined the chamber’s Democrats and independents in opposing Hegseth.

The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to confirm Marco Rubio to serve as secretary of State. John Ratcliffe was also confirmed to be CIA director on Thursday, with full support from Senate Republicans.

Noem, a farmer and rancher, has served as South Dakota’s governor since 2019. She previously served as the state’s sole member of the U.S. House and, before that, served in the state legislature.

She stood out early in her governorship for refusing to implement restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although South Dakota is more than 1,000 miles from the Mexican border, Noem has sought to keep her state in the national spotlight when it comes to securing it. She has sent South Dakota National Guard troops there, including one deployment that drew scrutiny because it was privately funded.

Noem was initially viewed as a possible running mate for Trump, but her prospects seemed to dim after she recalled in a book published in May that she shot and killed a family dog because it was “untrainable” and aggressive.

The dog story caused a national uproar, with both Democrats and Republicans expressing unease. Noem defended the decision to kill the dog.

“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” Noem wrote on X at the time.

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Nick Miroff contributed to this report.