SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – President-elect Donald Trump has selected Governor Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security Secretary, meaning a change in leadership will likely be coming to South Dakota soon.

If Noem is seated as Secretary, she would be the first Governor in nearly 30 years to not complete two terms in office.

In 1993, Governor George Mickelson was killed in an airplane crash, leading Lieutenant Governor Walter Dale Miller to finish his term.

Noem’s cabinet nomination will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The selection, with Republicans having the majority, will likely be approved.

“I don’t expect any real and substantial opposition to her confirmation by the Senate. The issue is time,” Michael Card, University of South Dakota Political Science Professor Emeritus said.

Noem’s appointment, if conducted by the Senate, would not happen until next year when the new session of Congress begins. However, President Trump has been calling for whoever receives the vote for Senate Majority Leader on Wednesday to “agree to Recess Appointments,” in which he would be able to install nominees without Senate confirmation.

Noem would then be able to quickly use her experience in South Dakota and try to fulfill a Trump campaign promise and secure the southern border, one of the many responsibilities of the position.

“I think in a lot of states, the Mexican cartels have been targeting the reservations because they are sovereign nations. I’m hoping that we take that awareness and we can really work on those issues from a national standpoint,” Rep. Kevin Jensen of Canton said.

With Noem heading to Washington, Lieutenant Governor Larry Rhoden will likely fill her position as governor and finish her term, which ends in early 2027.

Representative Jensen, who will serve as a Majority Whip in next year’s legislative session, expects a smooth transition for Noem’s exit.

“Governor Rhoden, if that happens, would likely keep the same staff. He would probably only make changes if they were directly not in favor of changes he would like to make,” Jensen said.

Rhoden will have his own policy plans to work through, but he may bring a fresh perspective for a likely very busy 2025 legislative session.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the challenges with the newly elected legislative leadership. We know they were going to have some real battles with Governor Noem. This may just dissipate those,” Card said.

Those leadership positions were announced over the weekend, you can find all of the appointments here.

Copyright 2024 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.

PIERRE, S.D. (KTTC) – One week after winning back the White House, President-elect Donald Trump is wasting no time building his second administration.

Among the picks is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, tapped to serve as secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.

Noem, 52, has no significant experience with homeland security issues but has voiced support for Trump’s hardline immigration policies. She has defended her fellow Republican governors in their efforts to crack down on migrants in their states.

If confirmed, Noem would head an agency that is at the center of Trump’s sweeping immigration plans and his campaign vow to carry out mass deportations of immigrants in the United States illegally.

Noem is currently in her second term leading the Mount Rushmore State. She became South Dakota’s first female governor after winning the state’s 2018 election. Before that, she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019 and the South Dakota House from 2007 to 2011.

According to her biography, Noem is a rancher, small business owner, and New York Times best-selling author.

Noem has criticized President Biden’s handling of the border, echoing Trump’s arguments that violent criminals are flooding into the country.

In a statement, announcing his choice for Homeland Security secretary, Trump said Noem “was the first governor to send national guard soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden border crisis.” He went on to say she would “work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan.” Homan served under Trump in his first administration, leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The Department of Homeland Security is a federal agency of 260,000 employees created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, with a vast area of responsibility. As secretary, Noem would oversee ICE, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Coast Guard.

At one point, Noem was considered a possible 2024 presidential candidate herself, and then a potential pick as Trump’s running mate.

However, an admission in a book she published in the spring that she once shot and killed her dog didn’t sit well with some. Noem said it was a story from 20 years ago about protecting her children from what she calls a vicious animal.

Find stories like this and more, in our apps.

Copyright 2024 KTTC. All rights reserved.