Senate forces vote in few weekends to push Kristi Noem as head of Homeland Security

The Senate will hold votes over the weekend to speed up the confirmation of a president Donald Trump’s key cabinet candidates.

Lawmakers will meet for a rare session Saturday to hold a vote on whether to confirm South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, to the top Cabinet position.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., indicated earlier in the week that the Senate would stay over the weekend to push through the confirmation process if Democrats blocked the ballot effort.

“Do we want to vote for these people on Tuesday or vote for them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday? Because that’s what we’re going to do,” Thune said after Democrats blocked a confirmation vote for Trump’s nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe. which has bipartisan support. “This can be easy or this can be difficult.”

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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is sworn in during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on her nomination to be Homeland Security Secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on January 17, 2025 . (Getty)

“This is about the national security interests of the United States, and we’re at a standstill, so that’s not going to happen,” Thune said.

Noem was questioned by lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during his confirmation hearing earlier this week.

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The Department of Homeland Security deals with national security and immigration issues, making Noem’s confirmation a top priority for Trump as he makes the crisis on the southern border a priority in his second term.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., Thune indicated earlier in the week that the Senate would stay over the weekend to push through the confirmation process if Democrats blocked the vote efforts. (Getty Images)

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Several of Trump’s nominees remain unconfirmed after the 47th president’s first week in office. But Thune vowed while speaking on the Senate floor Friday that he will “continue to make sure the Senate works as quickly as possible to get President Trump’s team.”

Elizabeth Pritchett of Fox News contributed to this report.