To begin the hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Thune, the top-ranking Republican, and Cramer flanked Noem in a display of solidarity.
Thune’s ringing endorsement came after pointing to “chaos at our southern border and the Biden administration,” which he said “has left our country vulnerable to a whole host of security concerns, from terrorist entries to cross border criminal activity like drug trafficking.”
He said:
I think it’s well documented, and I think it’s high time that it gets fixed and we have somebody nominated by the President that I believe has the capabilities, the qualities, the experience and, again, frankly, the determination and the toughness to solve what is a very, very tough issue and one which is desperately in need of solutions.
Thune added that he looks forward to the “committee acting on her nomination” and intends to vote for her on the Senate floor.
“I look forward to this committee acting on her nomination, and I look forward to voting for her on the floor of the United States Senate to be the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security,” Thune added.
In her opening statement, Noem expressed her gratitude to Trump, her constituents, Cramer, and Thune for their support.
“I want to thank President-elect Donald J. Trump for his confidence in my leadership and the people of South Dakota for their fantastic support throughout my time in public service,” Noem said, going on to hail Cramer as “an invaluable resource to me throughout this process.”
She then thanked Thune, calling him “an adviser to me for many years, as well as a friend.”
“And I’m so grateful for the generous support of these two men and their willingness to be here this morning to speak on my behalf and to introduce me to this committee,” she added.
The robust introduction for Noem comes as attorneys general from 20 states on Wednesday urged the Senate to swiftly confirm her, as well as attorney general nominee Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, who Trump has tapped to lead the FBI.
Breitbart News
Read the full article .
