Senate puts Noem on doorstep of DHS confirmation

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) moved a step closer to leading the Department of Homeland Security as the Senate voted on Friday to advance her to a final confirmation vote.

Senators voted 61-39 to break a filibuster on Noem’s nomination on Friday evening.

Noem's confirmation would put the final piece of President Trump's core national security team in place.

The chamber quickly approved Marco Rubio to lead the State Department after Trump’s inauguration on Monday, and eventually confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to their positions on Thursday and Friday, respectively.

Republicans view Noem as integral to carrying out Trump’s immigration plans, which include the deportation of large swaths of immigrants who entered the country illegally and ending numerous legal pathways for entering the country.

“She will secure the border,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said on Friday.

He also lauded her as an “excellent and well-qualified choice.”

“Gov. Noem understands what’s needed to tackle the border crisis,” he continued. “As she said at her hearing, she will ensure our border patrol agents and our Immigrations and Customs group have all the tools, the resources and the support they need to carry out their mission efficiently and effectively."

Noem was on a glide path to confirmation after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved her in a 13-2 tally on Monday.

She earned praise from the top Democrat overseeing her review.

“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 of the Senate Homeland and Government Affairs Committee, said after a vote to back her.

“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.”

Absent a deal with Democrats to speed up final passage, Noem is set to be confirmed on Sunday morning as part of a rare weekend session to motor through Trump’s Cabinet picks.

Barrasso said that holding Noem’s nomination up makes little sense, pointing to the committee vote and Peters' backing.

“Will Sen. Schumer needlessly slow down a confirmation vote that his lead Democrat supports just to obstruct President Trump?” he asked.

If confirmed, Noem would oversee a department key to carrying out Trump’s immigration agenda, including security at the border and enforcement within the country.

The acting secretary has already moved to give both expanded powers to remove migrants – including those allowed into the country on a temporary basis under President Biden.

Noem would also be responsible for overseeing TSA agents conducting screening at airports, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been spread thin through a series of back-to-back natural disasters.

Following Noem, the upper chamber will deal immediately with two confirmations: Scott Bessent to become Treasury secretary and former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) to head the Department of Transportation.

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