Overview
- In her first testimony since two U.S. citizens were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis, Kristi Noem declined to retract or apologize for characterizing the victims as linked to “domestic terrorism,” saying she relied on chaotic early reports.
- Republican senators joined Democrats in harsh questioning, with Sen. Thom Tillis calling her leadership a “disaster” and urging her resignation as broader GOP criticism of her responses and management surfaced.
- Funding for the Department of Homeland Security remains stalled in a partisan standoff over enforcement practices, with Democrats tying appropriations to reforms and Noem blaming them for a partial shutdown she called reckless.
- Senators scrutinized a roughly $220 million DHS ad campaign that prominently featured Noem, raising procurement and ethics concerns; she defended the effort’s effectiveness, denied picking contractors, and said Trump approved the messaging as Sen. John Kennedy challenged the bidding claims.
- Lawmakers pressed Noem on operational issues including extensive use of administrative warrants, her refusal to categorically rule out deploying immigration officers to polling places despite saying there are no plans, and reported luxury jet purchases, while she said about 650 DHS agents remain in Minnesota.