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A Senate committee cleared President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a bipartisan vote, paving the way for a Senate 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 the few nominees to be voted out of committee on Trump’s first day in office. It still has to be approved by the full chamber.
“During the confirmation process, Governor Kristi Noem has demonstrated that she is ready to meet the challenges of being DHS Secretary. I am proud to support her nomination and commend the Committee on the bipartisan effort to advance her nomination to the Senate, where he will be quickly confirmed,” Speaker Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a statement.
Noem won the support of most Democrats on the committee.
“During her confirmation hearing, I pressed Governor Noem to put aside partisan ideologies and follow the facts when it comes to the threats facing our communities, whether we’re talking about protecting our borders, foreign and domestic terrorism, or even an increasingly devastating natural disaster,” said Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the panel a statement
“Given his openness to working bipartisanly to address these and other threats to our national security, I voted to advance his nomination out of committee and send it to the Senate for consideration.”
Noem spent a dozen years in Congress before being elected governor of South Dakota.
If confirmed, Noem would take on a major role in the Trump administration as the president vows to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in US history.
“Guaranteeing our motherland is a serious and sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted,” Noem said during his hearing on Friday.
“As a nation, we have the right and the responsibility to protect our borders against those who would do us harm. And we must create a fair and legal immigration system that is efficient and effective and reflects our values,” he said later, saying there was broad support for Trump’s immigration policies.
