President Trump removed Kristi Noem from her position as the Department of Homeland Security’s Secretary and replaced her with Senator Markwayne Mullin.
Background on the Potential Next Secretary of DHS
To clarify, Senator Markwayne Mullin still needs to be confirmed by the Senate Homeland Security Committee, then the Governmental Affairs Committee, and then by the full Senate; to officially serve as a replacement for Kristi Noem, his confirmation hearing is scheduled for March 18th. If confirmed, his position as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary could start on March 31st.
As of March 16th, President Trump stated on the White House’s website that Mullin is gaining “bipartisan praise” from “lawmakers, tribal leaders, law enforcement organizations, industry groups, and other prominent voices”.
On his website, he cited all of the groups, associations, representatives, senators, lawmakers, journalists, and the former acting Secretary of Homeland Security: Chad Wolf, giving him appraisal and support for his new position.
Noem’s New Role
On March 5th, Trump announced on his social media that he would fire Noem, who then nominated Mullin to take her place. He announced her new role would be as “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas”.
Noem’s new role is to lead diplomatic security. She officially debuted in her position on March 7th. She now works alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “dismantle” drug cartels and criminal networks.
Noem’s Reasons for Removal
Noem’s removal comes after she was questioned by Republican and Democratic Lawmakers on Capitol Hill from March 3rd to the 4th. Among the questions she was asked was one regarding her “220 Million Dollar” taxpayer-funded campaign.
According to the Independent, the media companies, Safe America Media and The Strategy Group, were involved in the major split contract. Safe America Media was the main recipient of the sum, gaining 143 million dollars. The nonprofit ProPublica (a nonprofit newsroom) ran an investigative report and found that the company The Strategy Group has close ties with Noem and even managed Noem’s 2022 campaign, which garnered her $ 8.5 million in taxpayer money while she was Governor of South Dakota.
She faced intense scrutiny from politicians and the media over her ad, prompting follow-up questions about spending.
Noem was also questioned regarding ICE tactics, particularly in Minneapolis, where she stationed 3,000 agents, leading to the deaths of Alex Peretti and Renne Nicole Good.
When this occurred, many Republicans condemned Noem when referring to Peretti as a “domestic terrorist” before the investigation. As of 2026, the Department of Homeland Security is the largest federal agency, holding over 250,000 employees. The agency also made it a priority to deport 1 million individuals per calendar year. Noem’s agency has also faced scrutiny from Federal judges and the Supreme Court during her time as the Department of Homeland Security’s Secretary.
As of March 16th, according to a press release from the Senate & House Judiciary Committee Democrats, referred Noem for an investigation into allegations of perjury during her testimony on Capitol Hill on March 4th and 5th.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally written in March 2026. While the events described were current at that time, readers should note that official roles and investigation statuses may have evolved since its original draft date.
