Fox News host Laura Ingraham aimed South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds after he appeared ready to impede some or all of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks.
“Why does NDakota have a senator who is already undermining President-elect Trump?” Ingraham wrote, incorrectly claiming that Rounds is from North Dakota.
She then inserted a quote from a Politico article that said: “Sen. Mike Rounds (R-ND) said he came to Halifax with a message that there are still three branches of the U.S. government, and the Senate will guard its independence….”
For the record, Politico misstated that Rounds was from North Dakota.
That said, Trump nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be his Department of Homeland Security secretary because of her solid statements and actions aligning with the president-elect regarding the porous U.S. borders under the Biden-Harris regime.
As governor, Noem has taken a firm stance on immigration, calling the Biden administration’s border crisis an “invasion.” She has supported the construction of stronger physical barriers at the border and improved screening of refugees.
In 2021, South Dakota became the first state to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to assist Texas after the Biden-Harris administration failed to enforce immigration laws effectively. Since then, Noem has deployed troops to the border eight times.
In an X post in October, Noem said, “South Dakota doesn’t complain about things – we fix them…We will continue to do our part. We have another group of South Dakota National Guard soldiers scheduled to deploy to the Southern Border on a federal activation later this Fall. And we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the cartels’ influence here at home.”
Noem has also been a leading voice calling for stronger vetting of refugees from countries with ties to terrorism.
In 2017, Noem supported the first Trump administration in those efforts: “I share the President’s concerns about our ability to screen refugees—especially those from terrorist hotbed areas…I support putting a temporary pause on accepting refugees from terrorist-held areas—at least until the administration can certify that asylum-seekers do not present a safety threat to the U.S.”
In announcing her nomination, Trump recognized Noem’s previous stances on issues important to the DHS secretary.
“She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries,” said Trump. “I have known Kristi for years and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to make America safe again.”
Former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who some had viewed as the frontrunner for the post, also strongly endorsed Noem’s appointment. “Gov. Noem is a fantastic pick,” said Wolf. He continued: “She has been a successful governor and has been forward-leaning and helping to support the border security mission with her National Guard…I’m certain she will succeed.”
Noem responded to the nomination as well, saying, “With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American dream.”
Noem now faces confirmation hearings in the Senate. Last week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who will chair the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) and oversee the nomination, assured a swift confirmation process ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Newly elected Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) also congratulated Noem on her nomination and committed to quickly advancing the president’s nominees.
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