Seven Senate Democrats who supported Kristi Noem’s confirmation as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary in January are now expressing regret and disillusionment with her performance, NBC News reported Wednesday.
Noem was approved just five days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. Seven Democrats had joined Republicans in a 59–34 vote. They hoped for constructive, bipartisan leadership at the time.
Now, they are disappointed by their decision.
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"I'm very disappointed. I'm very disappointed in her," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told NBC. If I were voting on her today, I definitely wouldn't vote for her," he added.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) echoed this sentiment.
"She's weaponizing the Department of Homeland Security. She is taking so many actions right now that are making us less safe and going against a lot of the things that she said that she was going to focus on," Kim said Wednesday. "So I have no confidence in her leadership right now," he said, per the NBC report.
Earlier this month, Democratic leaders vocally rallied behind Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) following his forceful removal and handcuffing at a recent press event held by Noem in Los Angeles.
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In the days after the incident — widely condemned as a serious breach of justice — Democratic lawmakers and party figures denounced the move as politically motivated aggression.
The other five Democrats who voted to confirm Noem in January were Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D‑Mich.), Gary Peters (D‑Mich.), Maggie Hassan (D‑N.H.), Jeanne Shaheen (D‑N.H.) and John Fetterman (D‑Pa.).
Slotkin defended her vote by noting that Michigan has “major equities with the Department of Homeland Security” and is about to open “a huge new bridge” to Canada.
But she criticized Noem’s approach, telling NBC, “She has, frankly, not been in much control of policy. I see her more as a bystander, often, to policy — especially what's going on right now. And you know, we've been urging our committee to take more accountability on her.”
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AlterNet reached out to the DHS for comment.