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The US Senate has voted to install Kristy Noem as secretary of Homeland Security as Donald Trump moves quickly to implement his promised clampdown on illegal immigration.
The upper chamber of Congress voted 59-34 to confirm the South Dakota governor to lead the Department of Homeland Security with a mandate to address the US border crisis.
In his first week in the White House, the president signed a flurry of executive orders that declared a national emergency along the US-Mexico border and ended America’s refugee resettlement program.
He also limited birthright citizenship, but this measure was temporarily halted by a federal court that found it unconstitutional. Trump has vowed to appeal the order.
“Border security must remain a top priority,” Nome said last week during his confirmation hearing. “As a nation, we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm.”
Nome’s confirmation comes after the Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary and approval Pete Hegseth As Secretary of Defense, one of the president’s most controversial choices.
As Secretary of Homeland Security, Nom will oversee the Secret Service despite scrutiny following two assassination attempts on Trump last year, one of which injured his ear.
Nome said during his confirmation hearing that the Secret Service was “in dire need of reform.”
“We have all seen threats [president] Trump last year — and the consequences of failure,” he added.
Nome’s autobiography, which recounts how she shot her puppy Cricket for misbehaving, became a national talking point last year.
