Washington:
The US Senate on Saturday confirmed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a key agency in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
The vote came a day after US lawmakers confirmed former Fox News co-host Pete Hegseth to head the Pentagon, adding to previous national security positions already greenlit for Trump’s Cabinet, including secretary of state. and the CIA director.
Kristi Noem, 53, a Trump ally and second-term governor of the north central American state, controls the US agency that oversees border enforcement and migrant deportations but which leads federal efforts on cybersecurity, terrorism and emergency management. Also does.
Trump said on Friday he would sign an order seeking to scrap the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), after he harshly criticized its response to two devastating hurricanes during last year’s election campaign.
Kristi Noem is best known internationally for sinking Trump’s chances of being vice president with her cheerful admission that she shot her dog, Cricket, because it was “untrue.”
She is also known for making South Dakota—far from the border with Mexico—the first Republican-led state to send National Guards troops to the frontier, earning plaudits from conservatives.
During her confirmation hearing last week, Kristi Noem said the southern border would be a top priority, adding that the US has a responsibility to “secure our borders against those who would do us harm,” adding that the system should be fair and legitimate. Should be.
Kristi Noem was also asked at the hearing to address the distribution of disaster aid.
He vowed “there will be no political bias in how disaster relief is delivered to the American people.”
But Trump on Friday, after expressing his intention to shut down FEMA, threatened to withhold aid to California as it faces a historic wave of wildfires unless the Democratic-led state changes its voting laws. And doesn’t change environmental regulations.
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