President-elect Donald Trump has decided to name South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, CNN reported Tuesday citing sources.
Noem is set to lead the agency as immigration hardliners Stephen Miller and Tom Homan prepare for senior roles, aimed at Trump's commitment to enforcing his immigration agenda. By choosing Noem, Trump ensures a trusted ally will helm a critical agency central to his domestic priorities.
During Trump's last presidency, the Department of Homeland Security faced significant instability, cycling through five leaders, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The agency, with its $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees, is crucial to national security operations.
Noem will take charge of a vast agency responsible for overseeing US Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the US Secret Service.
The news of the latest pick comes a day after Trump named Tom Homan as the incoming "border czar" in his administration. Homan announced plans to focus on deporting illegal immigrants deemed threats to public safety and national security.
Who is Kristi Noem?
The 52-year-old has served as South Dakota's governor since 2019. In 2010, after several years in the South Dakota legislature, Noem was elected as South Dakota's sole representative in the U.S. House of Representatives. During her tenure, she contributed to passing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which returned an average of $2,400 to South Dakota families.
In 2018, Noem made history as South Dakota's first female governor, running on a platform focused on preventing tax hikes, curbing government growth, opposing federal overreach, and promoting transparency. In 2022, she was re-elected with a record-breaking vote total in the state's history.
Kristi Noem, who was once on Trump's shortlist for vice president, faced significant political turbulence earlier this year. In April, she sparked widespread backlash after revealing in her memoir, "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," that she had shot an "untrainable" dog she "hated" on her family farm.
Noem married Bryon Noem in 1992 in Watertown, South Dakota. The couple has three children. When Noem began her congressional career in 2011 and moved to Washington, D.C., her family remained on their ranch near Castlewood, South Dakota.
