Kristi Noem is out as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), to replace her effective March 31, pending Senate confirmation, President Donald Trump announced Thursday on the social media site Truth Social.
Trump added that Noem will move to a new position as "special envoy for the Shield of the Americas," which he wrote will be "our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida."
BTN named Noem to its 2025 Most Influential list.
Noem this week had been under fire during her first congressional testimony since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year. In her opening remarks March 3 before the Senate Judiciary Committee, she defended DHS in general but "was pressed again and again by lawmakers to explain, retract or apologize for her response in the immediate aftermath of their deaths," according to PBS News.
Trump's announcement of Noem's departure came shortly before a scheduled congressional vote on DHS funding. The Thursday afternoon vote failed for a third time, by 51 for to 45 against, leaving it short of the 60 votes needed for approval.
The agency has been shut down since its funding ran out on Feb. 14.
The House of Representatives in January passed a DHS funding bill, but the Senate has held it up as Democrats insisted on changes to immigration enforcement operations. Republicans are urging Democrats to reconsider their position given the current war in Iran.
Funding Lapse Effect on TSA
Amid the shutdown, about 61,000 Transportation Security Administration officers, who are considered essential employees, are required to work without pay.
Those TSA workers this week received a partial paycheck, which will be their last if the DHS shutdown continues.
As a result of the shutdown, Noem on Feb. 22 suspended the Global Entry program "to preserve limited funds and personnel," and briefly suspended the department's TSA PreCheck program before reversing course.
To address this situation, four U.S. travel organizations—U.S. Travel Association, Airlines for America, the American Association of Airport Executives and the American Hotel & Lodging Association—on Thursday launched a "Pay Federal Aviation Workers" campaign, designed to "activate Americans to urge Congress to pass legislation ensuring that essential federal aviation employees continue to receive pay during government shutdowns."
Leaders from those organizations also urged Congress to pass bills that would provide pay protections for essential aviation employees—which also include air traffic controllers and Customs and Border Protection agency employees—during future government shutdowns. Those bills include the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, the Aviation Funding Stability Act and the Keep America Flying Act, according to U.S. Travel.
"TSA officers screen nearly a billion passengers a year," U.S. Travel president and CEO Geoff Freeman said in a statement. "With an average salary of around $35,000, these are workers who simply cannot afford to miss a paycheck."
"Congress must get to the table and act with urgency to get a deal done that ensures frontline agencies can fully operate and employees can get the paychecks they earn for the important work they do to keep our skies secure," added Airlines for America president and CEO Christopher Sununu.