Gov. Kristi Noem wins confirmation to be Homeland Security secretary
South Dakota's 33rd governor set to join Trump administration on vows to enforce immigration laws
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem will be the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, one of the most consequential roles in the federal government, following a favorable Senate vote Saturday.
Noem won confirmation from the U.S. Senate with 59 votes to 34 against. The 53-year-old South Dakota governor survived the Senate’s power of advise and consent granted under the U.S. Constitution. That power allows the Senate to weigh in on a president’s cabinet nominees, one of the checks and balances that the nation’s founders built into the Constitution.
President Donald Trump picked Noem to be his Homeland secretary based on her tough-on-immigration stances. Noem has been one of Trump’s most loyal supporters.
In past eras, a president’s cabinet nominees typically received favorable votes from the Senate, regardless of political party, with the body giving deference to the president’s nominees. But in recent year, as partisanship has become more strident, those nominations are less certain.
The Senate’s favorable vote for Noem appeared to be a foregone conclusion following a friendly confirmation hearing with the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 17. The committee gave the former four-term congresswoman a positive vote, recommending confirmation by 13-2.
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