The Senate voted Saturday to confirm Kristy Novim as Homeland Security secretary, putting the former South Dakota governor in charge of the department for cracking down on immigration at the center of President Trump’s agenda. kept
The vote was 59 to 34.
Ms. Noem, a longtime ally of Mr. Trump who was once seen as a contender to be his running mate, released statement Saturday, thanking him and “Working to make America safe again!”
She takes charge of a sprawling agency that runs the nation’s immigration system — including Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and leads counterterrorism efforts. The Department of Homeland Security also oversees the Secret Service, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (In recent days, Mr. Trump has suggested eliminating FEMA.)
Ms Noem, a former congresswoman and two-term South Dakota governor, has been closely aligned with Mr Trump on immigration, an issue she says won the White House. .
He has described the high level of immigration to the United States in recent years as an “assault,” and has supported reinstating a policy that allows asylum seekers to stay in Mexico for the duration of their U.S. cases. Need to stay. The policy was widely criticized by Democrats and immigration rights activists during Mr. Trump’s first term.
As governor of South Dakota, he opposed accepting Afghan refugees after the chaos from Afghanistan, and he sent members of his state’s National Guard to Texas to deal with the immigration crisis. secretary
Although most Senate Democrats opposed Ms. Neem’s nomination, she received scattered support from Democratic lawmakers. His confirmation coincided with a bruising battle to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegsitt, who faced allegations of sexual abuse and excessive drinking, which he denied. Mr. Hegseth was approved by a vote of 51 to 50 on Friday after Vice President J.D. Vance stepped in to cast the tie-breaking vote.
Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey, a Democrat who voted for Ms. Noem, He said he believed they would Be able to work with him and maintain an open line of communication.
Still, the Democratic minority leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, said on the floor of the Senate that he believed Ms Neem was “going in the wrong direction” on immigration. and Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, Said he is not confident Ms. Neem will respect the rule of law. Neither voted to confirm it.
Ms. Niem was questioned by lawmakers about whether she would bail out Democratic-led states even if Mr. Trump did not order her to. During his first term, Mr. Trump initially opposed unlocking federal funds for California after severe wildfires in 2018, his former aides have said.
“Under the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, there will be no political bias to save the American people from disaster,” Ms. Niem told lawmakers.
He has also promised to restore the Secret Service, which has battled instability and been the focus of several investigations into the malfunction that allowed the gunman to shoot Mr Trump, leading to the butler, Pa, I got a little injured during a rally in Raleigh. July
Mr. Trump named Sean Korn, who has led Mr. Trump’s personal security detail during the presidential campaign, as director of the Secret Service, a position that does not require Senate confirmation.
Ms. Neem has championed conservative positions on a number of cultural issues. He signed a law in South Dakota barring transgender women and girls from competing in school sports based on their gender identity, and he Fought with critical race theorya framework that argues that racism is embedded in law and other modern institutions.
Many speculated that his chances of being elected as Mr. Trump’s running mate would be boosted by the publication of his memoir, “No Backward: The Reality of What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.” but has faded.”
It didn’t roll out well. In the book, Ms. Nim shoots and kills her family dog, drawing bipartisan outrage. A pre-publication version of the book included a false story about his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his tenure in Congress. The section was removed.
Along with Ms. Neem’s confirmation on Saturday, Larry Roden, who was Serve as his lieutenant governorwas elevated to the governorship of South Dakota. Mr. Rhoden is a conservative Republican and former state legislator.
