Governor Noem frames DHS priorities: border enforcement, cybersecurity, disaster response

Governor Noem, appearing before a Senate committee during her confirmation hearing to be the nominee for secretary of Homeland Security, told senators she would prioritize stricter border enforcement, expanded support for immigration enforcement officers, increased cybersecurity measures and strengthened disaster response if confirmed.

Noem said those priorities flow from her experience as governor and from what she described as evolving national threats. "Securing our homeland is a serious sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and can never be taken for granted," she told the committee, and she repeatedly asked senators for their input as she outlined policy goals.

Noem opened by thanking President-elect Donald J. Trump and Republican senators who supported her nomination, and she described her background as a South Dakota governor, farmer and former member of Congress. She said she had overseen "a state budget of over $7,000,000,000 and a state employee workforce of more than 13,000, including more than 7,000 that report directly to the governor." She said those management responsibilities inform how she would lead the department.

On border and immigration policy, Noem said "border security must remain a top priority" and framed securing the border as both a right and a responsibility. She said she was the first governor to send National Guard troops to the southern border when Texas requested assistance and promised, if confirmed, to ensure "our exceptional extraordinary Border Patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support that they need to carry out their mission effectively." She also affirmed support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying ICE is responsible for "apprehending, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants" and removing "criminal aliens" from communities.

Cybersecurity was another central theme. Noem said the department must adopt a "comprehensive whole-of-government approach" to protect critical infrastructure from foreign adversaries and criminal actors and emphasized leveraging public-private partnerships and "cutting edge, state of the art technologies." She cited Dakota State University as part of her record on advancing cybersecurity education in South Dakota.

Noem said she would prioritize emergency preparedness and FEMA capacity, citing work with the agency during a dozen natural disasters while governor, including floods, tornadoes, blizzards, wildfires, a derecho and the COVID-19 pandemic. She said as secretary she would "enhance our emergency preparedness and strengthen FEMA's capabilities" to ensure services such as electricity and water are restored quickly.

She also addressed the Secret Service, saying the agency "is in serious need of reforms" and that failures to protect the president-elect last year showed reforms were required. Noem said she has experience with gubernatorial protective details and would apply that background to strengthen the agency.

Throughout her statement, Noem expressed broad support for law enforcement, said she had helped recruit officers to South Dakota and had revamped training with what she described as the state's first-ever tribal-focused law enforcement training academy. She closed by saying she looked forward to senators' questions and hoped to earn their votes.

Votes, motions or formal committee actions were not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.