A Senate committee cleared President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a bipartisan vote, paving the way for a Senate floor vote.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) by a 13-2 vote.
The vote in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee makes Noem one of a handful of nominees to be voted out of committee on Trump’s first day in office. She still has to be approved by the full chamber.
“Throughout the confirmation process, Governor Kristi Noem has demonstrated she is prepared to face the challenges of being DHS Secretary. I’m proud to support her nomination and commend the Committee for the bipartisan effort in advancing her nomination to the Senate floor, where she will be confirmed quickly,” Chair Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a statement.
Noem earned the support of most of the committee’s Democrats.
“During her confirmation hearing, I pressed Governor Noem to set aside partisan ideologies and to follow the facts when it comes to the threats our communities face — whether we’re talking about securing our borders, foreign and domestic terrorism, or even increasingly devastating natural disasters,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the panel, said in a statement.
“Given her openness to working on a bipartisan basis to address these and other threats to our homeland security, I voted to advance her nomination out of committee and send it to the Senate floor for consideration.”
Noem spent a eight years in Congress before being elected governor of South Dakota.
If confirmed, Noem would take on an important role in the Trump administration, as the president has promised to undertake the largest mass deportation operation in American history.
“Securing our homeland is a serious, sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted,” Noem said during her hearing Friday.
“As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm. And we must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective and that reflects our values,” she said later, saying there was widespread support for Trump immigration policies.
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