WASHINGTON − South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the Department of Homeland Security, handily fielded questions from Senators about her ability to lead an agency central to his campaign promise to perform mass deportations of unauthorized immigrants.
Trump is expected to formally nominate her to lead the sprawling, $108 billion agency after he takes office on Jan. 20.
Noem and Republicans on the Homeland Security and Government Operations Committee kept focus on securing the southern border, which the governor called “a war zone.” Democrats, including Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA officer, used their questions to pull Noem toward terrorism from foreign and home-grown sources.
Noem was the only prospective Trump cabinet member to face a hearing on Friday. Senate committees have also heard in recent days from nine top appointments, including Pete Hegseth (Defense), Pam Bondi (Justice), Scott Bessent (Treasury), Marco Rubio (State) and John Ratcliffe (CIA). All appear headed for confirmation.
More:Trump Cabinet picks pressed on climate change, wildfires and campaign promises: 4 takeaways
The dog that didn’t bark: No mention of canine-killing episode
None of the senators used their time to ask Noem about an incident in her memoir in which she described shooting dead a hunting dog she found untrainable, nor of the book’s erromeous statement that she had faced down North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un during her time in Congress.
It was a largely substantive hearing that examined topics from securing the border, to cybersecurity, to reforming the Secret Service.
More:Report: Gov. Kristi Noem paid $140K on advance for memoir in which she shot her dog
Hearing ends as Noem pledges to avoid partisanship at DHS
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s Senate confirmation hearing to become the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security ended in pledges about bipartisan cooperation after about two and a half hours of relatively mild questioning.
The top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, said he was eager to get rid of hyper-partisanship when dealing with homeland security.
“We’ve got to come together as a country,” Peters said. “Let’s move away from this toxic political environment we have in this country.”
Noem said she would work with all lawmakers.
“I’m looking forward to working with everyone: Republicans and Democrats and everyone else in between in this country that is focused on keeping America safe and secure for our future,” Noem said.
− Bart Jansen
Noem commits to working against drone threat
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked Noem what she would do to regulate drones amid recent threats such as the delay in a National Football League playoff game caused by a drone.
“It’s absolutely essential that we address this threat,” Peters said of the potential for loading a grenade or other explosive on a drone. “I don’t want a horrible incident to occur.”
Temporary restrictions are scheduled to expire March 14. Noem said she would work with lawmakers on a more durable solution.
The chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he wanted the restrictions based on data, such as knowing how many drone reports are planes and how many are drones. He also questioned whether a warrant would be required to collect data from cellphone towers, which could snare data from people not involved in drones.
“I don’t want every sheriff out there shooting up to the sky at stuff,” Paul said. “I think there are ways to get to the right place.”
−Bart Jansen
Noem says mass deportations will focus on criminals
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., asked Noem how she would protect agricultural operations while President-elect Donald Trump plans mass deportations for immigrants without legal authority to be in the country.
Gallego said agricultural and dairy officials in Arizona are worried about deportations driving up their costs. “It could reignite inflation,” Gallego said.
Noem said Trump’s priority is deporting 425,000 immigrants who have been convicted of crimes and then those who have removal orders. “President Trump has been very clear that his priority is going to be deporting criminals, those who have broken law and perpetuated violence in our communities,” Noem said. “That will be the priority.”
Noem said Trump would also focus on those who have long overstayed their legal authority to remain in the U.S. “There is a consequence for ignoring our federal laws,” Noem said.
−Bart Jansen
Trump border czar won’t be in charge, Noem says
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., asked Noem, how she would work with Tom Homan, Trump’s choice to be border czar.
DHS, whose secretary is confirmed by the Senate, oversees border security through agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Homan, a former acting director of ICE, will serve as a Trump adviser at the White House who doesn’t require Senate confirmation.
“It sends some mixed signals,” Kim said.
More:Tom Homan vs Stephen Miller: Who will decide Trump’s mass deportation agenda?
Noem said she and Homan “work very well together” and will do so on a daily basis. She said DHS will lose none of its responsibilities.
“The authorities will stay the same as they are,” Noem said.
−Bart Jansen
More:Trump’s border czar Tom Homan wants a tip line to catch immigrants in US illegally
Noem says FEMA ‘failed’ responding to NC hurricane
Noem said the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed miserably in responding to the North Carolina disaster after Hurricane Helene.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, had asked how Noem would maintain cyber security with federal staffers working from home.
Noem said she heard many agency workers continue to not show up for work, even at FEMA after a disaster. She used the hurricane and flooding to push back-to-the-office policies and said FEMA employees working from home had caused the “horrific” results in North Carolina. Noem said workers will have to show up at the office and do their jobs.
“FEMA failed them so miserably,” Noem said. “If it’s not even a responsibility for them to show up when terrible things happen, what other day-to-day activities are not getting done when they’re working from home or not doing their job at all.”
−Bart Jansen
A South Dakota tribe un-bans Kristi Noem
Noem was declared persona non grata in South Dakota’s tribal lands last year after she said tribal leaders had allowed drug cartels to run riot in their reservations.
Now, the Sioux Fall Argus-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports that Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe president Anthony Reider said the tribe’s executive committee had voted to remove the governor’s banishment from their lands.
“One of the stipulations contained in the banishment resolution was that you apologize for the comments that were made regarding tribal members and the education of tribal member children, which were deemed offensive by some,” Reider wrote Noem.
“In several meetings before and after the resolution was passed, you not only explained your position, but apologized if the comments offended the Tribe,” he wrote. “You additionally sought advice on how to phrase such communications moving forward, which the tribe and I appreciated.”
−Dominik Dausch
Noem pledges to share info about Trump assassination attempts
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., asked whether Noem would share information about the Secret Service’s failures in the two assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump if she is confirmed as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Hawley said the agency refused to provide documents or make staffers available for interviews.
“We were stymied at every turn by the current Secret Service leadership,” Hawley said. “It’s unbelievable.”
Noem said she would share information with lawmakers to prevent future attacks.
“I will work with you to get the information so that you have the truth of really what happened there and the failures so that they can be fixed,” Noem said.
−Bart Jansen
Noem supports new technology along the southern border
Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., asked Noem what technology she supported to investigate southbound traffic, to seize the guns and cash that fuel trafficking and violence along the border.
Noem, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, said more wall needs to be built along the southern border and more technology is needed at legal ports of entry so people can move efficiently north and south. She supported scanners, surveillance equipment and the use of satellites in areas where transportation is difficult.
“You have to have the resources to be successful,” Noem said. She supported technology “that allows us to know what is going south that might be fueling some of the violence that ends up coming back north and ensuring that we’re stopping that before it has the chance to supply the cartels and bad actors that come in.”
−Bart Jansen
Cyber agency went ‘off mission’ by taking on disinformation, Noem says
After the Treasury Department reported it had been infiltrated by Chinese hackers, Kristi Noem, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security said the agency must focus on protecting against cyber attacks.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is part of the department.
More:Treasury Department hack shows no signs of broader impact, says US cyber watchdog
“The mission of it is to hunt and harden,” Noem said. “It’s to find those bad actors and work with local and state critical infrastructure entities so that they can help them be prepared for such cyber attacks and make sure that they are hardening their systems.”
But she said CISA has gotten far off mission.
“The misinformation and disinformation that they have stuck their toe into and meddled with should be refocused back on what their job is,” Noem said.
−Bart Jansen
Noem: Secret Service ‘in serious need of reform’
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem said the Secret Service must be reformed after the failures of two assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump.
Secret Service leaders have acknowledged failures to prevent Trump from getting shot in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and to have a gunman waiting for him at his Florida golf course. The agency has taken a number of steps to improve training and operations.
“As secretary, I will oversee the Secret Service, an agency that is in serious need of reform,” Noem said. “We all saw the threats to President-elect Trump last year – and the consequences of failure. That should never happen again.”
−Bart Jansen
Noem is asked about homegrown terrorism
Sen. Peters asked Noem about countering militants who’ve been “radicalized here in the U.S. with the intent of terrorizing our communities.” She agreed that “homegrown terrorism is on the rise,” while cautioning that Americans’ civil liberties must be protected.
But Noem also shifted focus back to the southern border and said 382 “known terrorists” had been allowed to cross into the U.S. from Mexico. According to DHS, 382 people whose names appear on a terrorist watch list were arrested trying to cross the border between 2021 adn 2024, up from 11 between 2017 and 2020.
Noem cites familiarity with FEMA from SD disasters
In her opening statement, Noem said she worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on 12 natural disasters in her state so she would be familiar leading the Department of Homeland security responding to “floods, tornados, blizzards, wildfires, a derecho, and even a global pandemic.”
“As Secretary, I will enhance our emergency preparedness and strengthen FEMA’s capabilities,” Noem said. “We will ensure that no community is left behind and that life-saving services like electricity and water are quickly restored.”
−Bart Jansen
Noem calls border security ‘a top priority’
Noem said securing the country’s borders against illegal trafficking and immigration will be a top priority.
“Border security must remain a top priority,” Noem said. “As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm.”
She said the country “must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective.”
−Bart Jansen
Thune praises Noem’s ‘absolute toughness’ to lead DHS
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., introduced Noem, his state’s governor, by saying her “absolute toughness” is required to lead the Department of Homeland Security and toughen security along the southern border.
Thune argued Noem’s “tremendous persistence and energy” would enable her to combat the “chaos on the southern border” and fight drug trafficking.
“I think she brings things to this job that are absolutely essential,” Thune said.
The Dakotas are well represented at the top of Washington this year. In addition to Thune’s leadership at the Senate and Noem’s expected confirmation at Homeland Security, President-elect Donald Trump has named former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Interior Department.
−Bart Jansen
Peters: DHS needs ‘strong, stable and principled leadership’
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the comittee’s top Democrat, said Noem would “need strong, stable and principled leadership” to oversee the sprawling Department of Homeland Security with 240,000 workers and an annual budget of more than $100 billion.
He urged her to focus on the northern border in addition to the southern border, while working to streamline the immigration system and asylum process.
Peters said she must also protect the country from attacks like ones recently in New Orleans and Las Vegas on New Year’s Day, and cyber attacks from China and other foreign adversaries.
−Bart Jansen
Noem hearing begins with criticism of Biden’s DHS
Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., opens Kristi Noem’s hearing with a litany of complaints about the department she may soon command, saying DHS has been distracted from its core duties of protecting the U.S. by intruding on the constitutional rights of Americans and policing their speech.
House Republicans voted to impeach the outgoing Homemand Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, last February but the Senate, then under Democratic control, killed both impeachment articles.
Immigration, fentanyl – and that hunting dog? Questions await Kristi Noem
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem may not have to answer for her dead hunting dog Cricket at her confirmation hearing Wednesday. But President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security will likely face tough questions about how she intends to run one of the nation’s largest and most sensitive federal agencies.
If confirmed by the Senate, Noem would be at the center of Trump’s effort to make good on campaign promises to shut down the border, prevent illegal immigrants from crossing from Mexico and Canada, and stop the flood of lethal fentanyl into the U.S.
As overseer of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, Noem would play a critical role in Trump’s much-touted plans to deport potentially tens of millions of people living without authorization in the U.S.
Noem made headlines last year for writing in her 2024 autobiography “No Going Back” that she shot her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer because it was “untrainable,” attacked livestock and tried to bite her. The backlash may have cost her a shot at the vice-presidency.
−Josh Meyer
More:Joe Biden commutes 2,500 ‘disproportionately long’ drug offenses in final presidency days
Who is Kristi Noem?
Prior to starting her government career, Noem worked on her family’s farm in rural South Dakota. She served in the state legislature for four years, and was elected to Congress in 2010, during the midterm election under then-President Barack Obama when the Tea Party movement swept the nation.
Noem won the governor’s race in 2018 on a small-government platform. She is an outspoken advocate of border security and has sent three different cohorts of the South Dakota National Guard to serve on the Texas-Mexico border for Operation Lone Star.
−Erin Mansfield
More:Kristi Noem, key to Trump’s immigration agenda, faces senators in confirmation hearing
What is the Department of Homeland Security?
The Department of Homeland Security is the umbrella agency for 22 departments and about 260,000 employees. Its departments handle border security, immigration detention, citizenship processing, airport security, and natural disasters, among other things.
President Joe Biden’s current secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, has been a frequent target of Republican criticism for the administration’s handling of unlawful crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
−Erin Mansfield
More:How Trump’s top administration picks reflect broad geographic diversity
Will Kristi Noem be confirmed?
While some of Trump’s nominees have faced controversy or bowed out of the confirmation process, Noem has been well received.
Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who heads the committee that will hold her hearing, told a podcast in December, “My first order of business will be getting her confirmed, and I plan on trying to do that either the day of the inauguration, or that week.”
−Erin Mansfield
More:Indicted New York City mayor Eric Adams to meet with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
What time is Kristi Noem’s confirmation hearing?
The hearing with the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee starts at 9 a.m. It will be held in the Senate Dirksen Building, room SD-342, in Washington, D.C. USA TODAY will post a livestream link here when it becomes available.
−Erin Mansfield
