Overview
- Senators from both parties pressed Kristi Noem over the Minneapolis shootings and DHS tactics, with Republicans Thom Tillis and John Kennedy joining Democrats in sharp criticism and some calling for her resignation.
- Noem declined to retract or apologize for characterizing Renee Good and Alex Pretti as engaged in domestic terrorism, citing early field reports, while defending enforcement operations that still include roughly 650 agents in Minnesota.
- Funding for DHS remains stalled in a partial shutdown as Democrats demand changes to immigration enforcement, while Noem called the lapse reckless and blamed Democrats for jeopardizing security.
- Lawmakers questioned a roughly $220 million DHS advertising campaign that featured Noem, raising procurement and ethics concerns; she argued the ads deterred migration and said she did not choose the contractors.
- Senators probed administrative warrants, executive-jet purchases, and potential election deployments, as Noem said there are no plans to post ICE or CBP at polling places but repeatedly declined to rule it out.