South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, speaks during her confirmation hearing before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 17, in Washington, D.C.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, speaks during her confirmation hearing before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Jan. 17, in Washington, D.C. Eric Thayer / Getty Images

Trump's pick for DHS chief vows to shake up 'dysfunctional' department, boost workforce morale

Kristi Noem used her confirmation hearing to excoriate work done by DHS during the Biden administration and said big changes are coming.

President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Homeland Security Department sharply criticized vast swaths of the workforce she is likely to soon lead during her confirmation hearing on Friday, even as she promised to improve morale at the agency. 

Several DHS components have lost track of their missions and are in need of sweeping reforms, Gov. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., told the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as she promised to reshape their focuses. Noem laid out a series of areas in which she would reverse course from current Biden administration policy, vowing to follow through on all Trump’s campaign promises. 

Among those changes would be building more wall and fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, “on day one” getting rid of the CBP One app that allowed immigrants to sign up for scheduled interviews with DHS staff, reinstating the “Remain in Mexico” policy that requires migrants to stay outside the U.S. while awaiting an asylum interview and ending the policy that allows migrants to be released into the country after they are detained at the border. 

Many of those efforts, as well Trump’s promise to significantly expand deportations of undocumented immigrants, would require a dramatic increase of DHS resources and staffing. Noem did not discuss in any detail plans to grow the department’s workforce, though other lawmakers referenced that need.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., who helped introduce bipartisan—and ultimately failed—legislation last year that would have allowed DHS to hire thousands of officers, agents and support staff, suggested Republicans wanted to boost Customs and Border Protection officers to inspect more vehicles entering the country. While Noem was testifying, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on the Senate floor that Republicans would ensure DHS has the resources it requires. 

“Republicans believe that keeping criminal, illegal aliens off our streets is a good investment, and we are currently working on a bill that will provide ICE with additional agents and additional detention capacity,” Thune said. 

While Noem criticized much of DHS, she praised employees at Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which will play key roles in enforcing Trump’s restrictionist agenda. 

“If confirmed as secretary, I'll ensure that our exceptional, extraordinary Border Patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support that they need to carry out their mission,” Noem said. 

She added the same was true for employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and promised both ICE and Border Patrol staff would spend more of their time in the field completing law enforcement work. 

“The bravery and the dedication of the Border Patrol and ICE are unmatched, and I will restore dignity to their work,” Noem said. 

Overall, Noem called DHS “broken and dysfunctional.” U.S. Secret Service, she said, was in “serious need of reforms” as it strayed too far from its core mission. She noted the agency has been compromised “by not having enough people there and being adequately staffed and resourced." She cited the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its efforts after Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina and other southeastern states, saying it “failed them miserably.” The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has drifted away from its mission, she added, while the Transportation Security Administration also requires changes. 

“I'll be following the Constitution and the rule of law and then getting these departments back on mission to why they were created and why they are existing,” Noem said. 

All of those issues, she explained, have led to low morale at DHS. The department has long been ranked as the worst or near-worst place to work among major agencies in government, though its numbers have creeped up in recent years. 

“I'm going to let people do their jobs,” Noem said in vowing to improve job satisfaction at the department. “I'm going to remind them what their jobs are.”

Noem also said she has “heard” that DHS employees are “not showing up,” though recent data show the department’s workforce spends 85% of its work hours at their duty stations and teleworks among the least of any federal agency. Those who do telework, she said, “Maybe they're just not truly passionate about protecting America.”