Kristi Noem Removed By Trump As Head Of DHS
on Mar 05, 2026
Amid Bipartisan Outcry Over Her Conduct, Kristi Noem Is Being Reassigned Within The Trump Administration
Writing on Truth Social on Thursday, March 5, President Donald Trump announced that he was replacing Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary.
Trump’s decision follows nearly a month of tension among legislators who have been trying to reach a deal to resume funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
This week also saw Sec. Noem testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Judiciary Committee, with allegations against her use of taxpayer funds within DHS as well as concerns about her own character — including questions over whether she had an affair with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was reportedly appointed as a Special Government Employee within DHS.
There was also a reportedly $200 million ad campaign for DHS that was paid for with taxpayer dollars.
During questioning, Sen. John Kennedy, R-LA, noted that the company which was tasked with creating the ad campaign didn’t exist until 11 days prior to receiving the nearly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar contract.
Contrary to how taxpayer funds are typically managed for such endeavors, there was no bidding process for companies to apply for the gig.
This reportedly occurred without Trump’s knowledge, despite Noem claiming Trump knew about the ad campaign.
See the commercial for DHS that came from that contract, here:
Trump Selects A Replacement For Noem
Without referring to the scandal surrounding her hearing, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.'”
Responding to the news of her new appointment as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, Noem posted on X, formerly Twitter, “[Sec. of State Marco Rubio] and [Sec. of War Pete Hegseth] are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”
Continuing, she wrote, “The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security.”
From there, she thanked Trump for the appointment and went on to share DHS’ accomplishments under her watch, claiming the Trump administration brought about “the MOST secure border in American history,” saw the exit of 3 million illegal migrants, and located 145,000 missing children.
See her full March 5 post, here:
Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) March 5, 2026
Presiding over the Department of Homeland Security in Noem’s stead will be Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-OK, with Trump stating this will be effective beginning March 31.
Mullin will need to be confirmed to the position, but can serve in an acting capacity as Secretary of DHS ahead of confirmation.
After calling for Trump to remove Noem from DHS, Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA, posted his approval of Mullin in the role, writing on March 5 in a post on X:
As a member of the Homeland Security Committee + Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Border Security:
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 5, 2026
I’m not sure how many fellow Democrats will vote to support our colleague @SenMullin as the next DHS Secretary, but I am AYE.
DHS funding lapsed on Feb. 14, and has been the subject of heated debate in the Senate as the department’s approach to immigration enforcement has been scrutinized.
This is a developing story…
