the biggest issue in my mind. >> ainsley: are you excited about being with him again? >> yeah, very excited. i don't know if i'll get the opportunity to see him again but be part in the event and parade is very exciting. >> lawrence: do you plan on bringing your family with you or are you going alone with the truck? >> i'll be in the truck. >> ainsley: andrew, we wish you the best. do you have warm gear? you need a good coat, gloves. you are used to that though, right? >> i think next week it is supposed to be even colder up here than d.c. i am pretty well prepared for it. >> lawrence: congratulations. we'll see you there. we'll be there. >> sounds good. >> lawrence: thank you for joining us. we'll be live sunday, monday and tuesday live from d.c. >> bill: good morning. there is a blitz of confirmation hearings throughout the week. we'll resume in a moment now.

in the room a moment ago south dakota governor christie nome set to face off with senators in hopes of leading the department of homeland security, a big job if you look underneath the hood, right? a long week. friday. almost made it, america. i'm bill hemmer. >> dana: i'm dana perino and this is "america's newsroom." these hearings have been fascinating and very interesting. the democrats slow to get off the mark. age difference of the senators and nominees. this one is going to face a wide range of issues. many of which drove voters to reelect trump. these are likely to take center stage. we have the border, immigration, fema and performance after national disasters and u.s. secret service amid simmering threats to the united states. >> bill: chad pergram, squeeze in this report. what do we expect? hello. >> good morning. kristi noem, the secretary nominee walked into the hearing

room a couple moments ago. expected it to be a good meeting. they've had so many different confirmation hearings throughout the week. this hearing was originally scheduled for wednesday but was postponed until today. issues with the paperwork on the f.b.i. background check for some of the nominees including kristi noem. doug collins the former republican congressman from georgia was nominated to be the veterans affairs secretary and the first hearing this week and still have not rescheduled his hearing. kristi noem will be up today. there will be a lot of questions about fema, how they've responded to the wildfires in california. certainly questions about the hurricanes in florida and the carolinas last year, overall administration of fema. president-elect trump hasn't yet picked a fema administrator nominee. that is somebody who will have to be confirmed by the senate. kristi noem is probably not going to be in that first tronch

of confirmations of the senate floor. she is one of the last hearings this week and probably have to be debate on the senate floor and business meeting where they discharge this from the committee and send it to the floor. probably at the very earliest, even if they were moving at a fast track, probably the end of next week or maybe the week after that. guys. >> bill: chad, stand by. as you mentioned border, immigration, fema, what we do about california, wow, what happened in new orleans over new year's, it will all come up now. rand paul the republican senator from kentucky kicking things off. >> we asked dhs for a comprehensive list of collaborative entities it participates in. task forces, advisory boards, coalitions and the like. the response was astonishingly opaque. they stated there is not a single list to address all the collaborative relationships the department and its components engage in. we do so much stuff and so big

we can't describe it for you. if we can't describe what we have we have a problem. dhs had really no idea, think about it. an agency commanding over $110 billion can't account for its own things. it's emblematic of a deeper issue. agency unsure of its own boundaries and commitments. how can an agency fulfill its mission if it doesn't know the extent of its own operations? the problems don't stop there. instead of focusing on critical threats like securing the southwest border, dhs has shifted its gaze inward targeting law abiding americans. dhs under the biden administration used its vast powers to target americans exercising constitutional rights. it has become an agency more focused on policing speech, monitoring social media and labeling political dissent as domestic terrorism than

addressing genuine security threats. cartels traffic people and fentanyl crosses an unguarded border dhs has spent its time and resources creating partisan dys information boards, spying on americans through surveillance technologies. the mission drift is dangerous. every dollar spent monitoring law abiding citizens is a dollar not spent securing the homeland. every moment targeting political opponents is not looking at the adversarial nation states. the priorities of dhs have been distorted. what about their response to covid-19? one of the greatest threats to homeland security. the answer is clear, nothing. they knew nothing of the origins, they didn't study the issue and have no information about gain-of-function research. we've seen firsthand how unchecked government overreach

leads to waste, fraud and abuse. we cannot let dhs become yet another agency that operates behind the veil of secrecy. the american people deserve transparency, accountability and leadership that puts national security at liberty hand in hand, not at odds with each other. today we consider the nomination of governor kristi noem to serve as the secretary of department of homeland security. i hope we can restore transparency and accountability to an executive branch grown unchecked. if confirmed you'll lead an agency that lost its way. your record as governor of south dakota and a former member of congress demonstrates your willingness to make difficult decisions in the face of significant political pressure. and to put the interests of american people first. you have the opportunity today to address how your background and vision will translate to leading one of the most critical and scrutinized departments in the federal government.

this is the first of many moments for this committee as we renew our commitment to the constitutional oversight role. the nominee will consider in the coming weeks and months that you'll be up for the cage. governor noem, thank you for your willingness to serve and yield to the acting member for his opening remarks. >> it's great to see you here today and i want to first thank you for making yourself available not only to the entire committee but the discussions that we had in my office going perhaps a little more in depth of the issues than it is possible in a hearing like this and having that open and frank conversation is something that i appreciate. also appreciate your willingness to spend time with committee staff as we conduct our due diligence and review of your qualifications and background to serve as secretary of the department of homeland security. as our third largest federal agency with more than 240,000 employees and operating budget of more than $1 hundred billion

the department of homeland security requires strong, stable and principled leadership. our nation faces serious threats and security challenges from securing our borders and combating terrorism to preventing cyberattacks and responding to our nation's increasing number of natural disasters. and dhs is the first line of defense in all of those areas. i appreciated the conversations we had at today's hearing where we discussed importance of insuring our nation's borders are safe and secure and while we must address the significant challenges we face on the southern border, we also need to insure that there are sufficient resources to secure our northern border. something i know you are very familiar with as the governor of your state including building out our northern border mission center. this is especially important in my home state of michigan which has two of the nation's busiest border crossings and we'll be adding another span shortly, the

international bridge that will open later this year. to facilitate the lawful trade and travel to those ports of entry that are critical to our economy, i've worked on legislation to hire additional u.s. customs and border protection officers to meet increased staffing demands. we must secure our borders. but we also know it is well time past to streamline our immigration and asylum process as well. in addition to border security, dhs is responsible for addressing many threats that face our nation. just a few weeks ago americans were shocked to see two horrific incidents in new orleans and las vegas, a deadly reminder that chrism and radicalization remain very real and ongoing threats to our homeland. in my role on this committee i've made combating foreign and domestic terrorism as well as extremism a top priority. in this complex environment it is essential that dhs continue

to focus on all terrorism threats, track and report data to congress and to the american people and coordinate between all components to insure the department is effectively addressing all types of terrorist threats. we've also seen the persistent cyberattacks still a very serious threat. in fact, an increasing threat. recent attack from chinese-based hackers infiltrated the treasury department. on top of ongoing salt hack that comprise numerous telecommunications companies. no question that dhs must continue to lead the way in protecting our networks from foreign adversaries, cyber criminals, and so-called activitys to prevent cyberattacks devastating to our security and economy. finally, the department of federal emergency management agencies to talk about the natural disasters as a result of climate change.

hurricanes that brought destruction to states across the south to the devastating wildfires in california, and countless other severe storms and flooding events across the country. we need leadership at the department to assure our nation effectively responds to communities when disaster strikes them. the safety and security of our nation and the american people depend on the department's ability to effectively address these wide ranging threats. governor noem, thank you again for your willingness to serve in this incredibly important position and thank you for being here today. i look forward to having a comprehensive discussion about how you intend to lead this critical department through a series of national security challenges if indeed you are confirmed. >> this morning governor noem will be introduced by majority leader john thune and senator kevin cramer. >> thank you, mr. chairman and ranking member peters and members of the committee.

i'm pleased to be able to be here today to introduce south dakota's outstanding governor who has been nominated by president trump to serve as the secretary of the department of homeland security. i have known kristi noem for a long time. she has a very compelling personal and family story which inspired her entrance into the public arena and i'm sure you will hear more about that from her. but i've observed as she has gone through the state legislature as a leader there, state house of representatives, the u.s. house of representatives where she was our only member from south dakota representing our state's interests there for eight years and now currently south dakota's governor. and i think she brings to this job a number of things that will be really essential and one is obviously a skill set managing hard problems. she led our state through the pandemic, managed what were

extraordinary circumstances across this country in a way that made south dakota frankly a magnet for people from other states who were trying to flee or get away from some of the heavy handed requirements that were im polesed me other states around the country. our state stayed open and freed it was largely due to her leadership. i would say, too, as we tackle what is an enormously complicated and hard issue, the southern border, it will require a skillset which i believe she possesses and require tremendous amount of persistence and determination, which i think she has, and enormous amount of energy which she has in abundance and what i would say is absolute toughness. it will take some tough and hard leadership to get things back in order. i want to refer to something she said in her state of the state address earlier this week to south dakotans. over the past four years we've seen a complete disregard for the security of our borders and

the safety of the american people to say nothing for the rule of law. chaos at our southern border under the biden administration has left our country vulnerable to a host of security concerns from terrorist entries to cross border criminal activity like drug trafficking. i think it's well documented and i think it's high time that it gets fixed and we have somebody nominated by the president that i believe has the capabilities, qualities, the experience and again frankly the determination and toughness to solve what is a very tough issue and one desperately in need of solutions. so i'm pleased to be here today to introduce our great governor and to thank you for your consideration. i look forward to this committee acting on her nomination and i look forward to voting for her on the floor of the united states senate to be the next secretary of the department of homeland security. thank you, mr. chairman. >> senator kramer. >> thank you, chairman paul,

ranking member peters, colleagues. once again i find myself in full agreement with the majority leader. it is a good place to be in our business. so this is a very special opportunity for me. first thing i want to do is thank nearly all of you. i got into all every one of your offices with kristi as her sitting senator. the blessing for me was to be with my good friend and former colleague but to learn a lot about this committee that i'm not on. and to get an inside view and gary especially learning how we can work together at the northern border and how similar, very different michigan and north dakota are. thank you for your hospitality. you were all very kind to kristi and to me. kristi is a former colleague. when you are the only member of a body of 435 from an entire state, it is really important to have friends. so together kristi and i were

two out of 435 and if we could get montana, wyoming and alaska there are five that could take on the fight. i remember our first year -- my first year in the house, the unthinkable happened and the house of representatives failed to pass a farm bill. all i can tell you is the least secure homeland person in america was the speaker of the house and the majority leader the next day when kristi and i doubled up and eventually we got a farm bill done. i say that because we are living at a time and senator peters, you used the words strong, stable and principled. i can't think of three better words to describe kristi noem than those three words. i would add this. i'm not surprised that president trump turned to governor noem. securing the homeland is the number one priority. our number one priority,

constitutional priority as a congress. and it is for sure the number one priority of the voters in the last election. and it is the number one priority for president donald trump. so naturally he would say hum, who is the toughest, smartest, most capable protector that i know? i think i would like to find a ranch woman, mom, grandmother, who knows how to protect her own. and when you grow up on a ranch in the prairies or the west, nobody else is going to look out for your critters, no one else is protecting your family. you do it. and she brings this skill set as senator thune said as a leader, legislator, as a member of congress, as a governor, a very important by the way when i would get into the room with

other governors, senator, i was now part of a club where i don't belong. it was very, very rich because there is an alliance that is really important. so for me it is a really special opportunity to be able to be here with her and to have had this time in your offices introducing her to you. but i want twrap up because last -- with this. last night i received a very touching letter unsolicited by either kristi or me from the tribal chairwoman from the standing rock sioux tribe which straddles north dakota and south dakota. they don't care when wins the football game but they care about their reservation and chairwoman sent me this letter standing rock is the the home of sitting bull. in case you were wondering about the credentials of their ability to protect the homeland. i'll read a few words.

on multiple occasions governor noem has invited the standing rock sioux tribe to her table at the south dakota state capitol to enter into meaningful discussions. that's what i witnessed when she came to your offices. janet writes it is a great excitement and enthusiasm that a north dakota governor doug burgum will be at the head of department of indeaver orr. my hopes remain high that you will feel the same of kristi noem at the top of homeland security. these two governors understands the needs in indian country and words like tribal sovereignty, jurisdiction and consultation mean to the indigenous people. speaks volumes to her leadership and character. it is my honor to support her and turn it over to her. >> thank you for those great introductions. the committee is also received several statements in support of governor noem's nomination including a letter from 22

fellow governors, the international association of firefighters and six other organizations without objection these letters of support will be made part of the hearing record. i know our senators have to go but thank you for coming and doing the introductions. it is the practice of this committee to swear in witnesses. governor noem, please stand and raise your right hand. do you swear that the testimony you will give before this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god? governor noem, you are recognized for your opening statement. >> thank you and good morning chairman paul, ranking members peters and distinguished members of this committee. i'm honored to appear before all of you today as the nominee for the secretary of homeland security. i want to thank president-elect donald trump for his confidence in my leadership and the people

of south dakota for their fantastic support throughout my time in public service. i would also like to express my sincere gratitude to senator kramer. he has been an invaluable resource to me throughout this process and given me much wisdom as well as insight into the thoughts and procedures of the senate and this body. i would also like to express my gratitude to senator thune, majority leader. he has an advisor and friend for many years and grateful for the generous support of these two men and their willingness to be here this morning to speak on my behalf and introduce me to this committee. i'm a wife, mother and grandmother, farmer, rancher, business person. i have served in our state legislature, in congress for eight years and also a governor. i've spent my entire life in rural america. i understand what it mowens to work hard every single day and build a better future for your kids and all of our communities.

i come before you today with a deep sense of responsibility and a humility as the nominee to lead the department of homeland security. and also a commitment to the more than 330 americans who we will work together to help serve and to keep safe and secure in their homes and in their communities. now before i proceed i want to introduce to you my husband, brian, who is here with me today. he is my constant 24/7 reminder of our dedication to public service and that it's not a solo effort or done alone. he has been a rock by my side and i appreciate all of his love over so many years. i'm grateful he is here with me today. now securing our homeland is a serious sacred trust that must be relentlessly pursued and never taken for granted. being safe within our borders here in america is critical and yet americans feel less safe than they have felt in decades. for the first time in 30 years,

more than 40% of americans are afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their homes. president-elect trump will change that. i've seen firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing our great nation. in the 20 years since the department of homeland security was formed, the nature of the threats to our homeland has grown and evolved. this department was created in response to the failures of the government that led to the september 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks and that reality is not lost on me. especially in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks over new year's. now, i've led south dakota for the last six years with a focus every day on making our state saver, stronger, freer. making the best decisions not just for right now, but for generations to come. i have overseen a state budget of over $7 billion and a state employee workforce of more than

13,000. including more than 7,000 that report directly to the governor. i have addressed important issues like cybersecurity, human trafficking, drug interdiction and also natural disasters. the same challenges that are facing so many of you and the people that you represent back home. i have secured our states and supported the rule of law. and if confirmed as the eighth secretary that is the same approach i'll take to leading the department of homeland security. as we face the evolving threats of the 21st century, the mission and success of dhs is more critical than ever. we must be vigilant and pro-active and innovative to protect the homeland. the challenges in front of us are extremely significant and we must secure our borders against illegal trafficking and immigration. we must safeguard our critical infrastruck tower to make sure we're protected against cyberattacks, respond to natural disasters and terrorism. i firmly believe we can meet those challenges head on with

resolve, innovation we can use collaboration with federal and state partners. and senators, i want your input. border security must remain a top priority. as a nation we have the right and responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm. and we must create a fair and lawful immigration system that is efficient and effective and that reflects our values. president trump was elected with a clear mandate, he needs to achieve this mission because 2/3 of americans support his immigration and border policies, including the majority of hispanic americans. i was the first governor to send national guard troops to our southern border when texas asked for help and when they were being overwhelmed by an unprecedented border crisis. if confirmed as secretary i will insure our exceptional, extraordinary border patrol agents have all the tools and resources and support they need to carry out their mission effectively. the same is true of my

commitment to the outstanding men and women of the u.s. immigration and customs enforcement. they are responsible for apprehending, detaining and deporting illegal immigrants. and getting criminal aliens off of our streets and out of the country will help american communities be safer again. the bravery and dedication of the border patrol and ice are unmatched and i will restore dignity to their work. the rising threat of cyberattacks demands our utmost attention and critical infrastructure from energy grids to financial institutes is under constant attack. as secretary i will prioritize a comprehensive whole of government approach to cybersecurity. in fact, in the coming days, we have to plan bigger and think faster and smarter. i fully acknowledge that people in washington, d.c. do not have all of the answers and therefore i will leverage private/public

partnerships, advance cutting edge state-of-the-art technologies to protect our nation's digital landscape and i will have a proven track record of doing this in south dakota to back me up. i've helped to make dakota state university a global leader in cybersecurity education. the need to address the merging threat and take a proactive approach if given the opportunity to serve as secretary. now president-elect trump has been a tremendous friend to law enforcement over the years and i will do the same in my role as secretary. as governor, i've worked closely with law enforcement to make south dakota safer. overseen hundreds of state troopers in the south dakota highway patrol and on several occasions i've convened groups of law enforcement from across our state to address policies that will make our people safer. in fact, while some in this country were attacking law enforcement and defunding them, we took the opposite approach in south dakota. we recruited law enforcement officers to move to south

dakota, a state that respects their service and their sacrifice. and we revamped our law enforcement training to provide the first ever state-led tribal focused law enforcement training academy. i'm very proud of the work that we've done in cooperation with our tribes to help make their communities more safe. and we must remain vigilant against terrorism and against others who wish to do us harm to our country and to our great people. i'll insure that our intelligence and law enforcement agencies are working together hand in hand. they are fully he dwoipd detect, prevent and respond to threats from radical ideologies and foreign adversaries. this requires resources, coordination, and collaboration across all levels of government and once again i will seek your wisdom and i will seek your input into the months ahead for the sake of the people that we both represent, we have to get this right. now i recognize that homeland security isn't just about

prevention but also about resilience. when disasters strike as we know their will the department of homeland security must respond effectively and swiftly to protect lives and property of americans. as governor i've worked with fema in response to a dozen natural disasters in south dakota. these have included historic floods, tornadoes, blizzards, wildfires, and even a global pandemic. as secretary i will enhance our emergency preparedness and strengthen fema's capabilities and we'll insure that no community is left behind. and that lifesaving services like electricity and water are quickly restored. as secretary, i will oversee the secret service, an agency that is in serious need of reforms. we all saw the threats to president-elect trump last year and the consequences of failure. now that should never happen again. i have worked closely with my own protective detail and

familiar with what works and doesn't work and bring that experience toward strengthening the secret service once again. i'm committed to working with this committee, congress and dedicated men and women of the department of homeland security to fulfill our mission and together we can insure the united states remains a beacon of freedom, safety, and security for generations to come. so thank you for the opportunity and the honor to appear before you today. thank you for the meetings and time that you took in your office to discuss the department and what we can do in the future to make the american homeland much more secure. i look forward to your questions and i who questions and trust and your vote. i yield back. >> we'll proceed the questions. each member will have seven minutes. we'll have a vote that will start at 10:00 a.m. but we'll continue the hearing and keep people in line as you come and go to vote, we'll keep the

hearing moving. i want to be clear from the outset we'll not tolerate any disruptions. capitol police are asked to escort anyone immediately from the room if they disrupt the hearing. a standard question, governor noem. do you agree without reservation to comply with any request or summons to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of congress if you are confirmed? >> yes, mr. chairman. >> i'll reserve the rest of my time for my questions and go to senator peters. >> thank you, mr. chairman. governor noem. the dhs secretary has many competing priorities as you well know and outlined in your opening comments from borders to wildfires to cyberattacks. as you and i discussed in length and i appreciate you bringing it up in your opening comments as well we have a northern border in addition to a southern border that's essential that the dhs has the resources necessary at the northern border to carry out

its mission. both between ports of entry and all along the border. in fact, we've seen an increase in unauthorized crossings in recent years at the northern border. so my question for you is if confirmed do you commit to insuring along with the southern border, that the northern border is sufficiently staffed to maintain its security and robust trade between the u.s. and its neighbors, including at the gordey howe international bridge in michigan, have the resources they need to facilitate trade while keeping americans safe? >> yes, senator peters. you and i talked about this in your office and also with senator slotkin as well how important it is to remain focused on the northern border and all borders and ports of entry that the united states has. i think there has been some universal concern from some of the committee members that as we focus on the southern border and what we're seeing as far as the invasion there and the amount of people crossing, that the northern border would lose focus, but that will not happen

and we will insure that our borders are secure and we're addressing all threats that may come in from any direction. also with the bridge as well and staffing up on that as well and i i've assured senator slotkin as well. >> as we discussed the department is diligently working to stand up the northern border mission center at south ridge air national guard base in michigan following the authorization and funding i was able to secure in the last congress. this center is critical to supporting the department's northern border security missions and addressing evolving threats so quick question, if confirmed do you commit to working with me to fully build out the northern border mission senator? >> yes, we'll look forward and i look forward to working with you to insure that that is a priority and that it is adequately resourced and working with congress and senators to make sure that we have what we need to make sure that that mission for that base is fully

fulfilled. >> great. thank you. new year's we witnessed two incidents that reminded us that terrorism and extremism remain serious threats to all americans. dhs and f.b.i. have consistently said that the most persistent threat to the homeland is from u.s.-based individuals or small groups, radicalized by a variety of ideologies from white supremacy, isis, al qaeda. we must continue to focus on people who are radicalized in the united states with the intent of terrorizing our communities. how do you plan to address this threat? >> this is a grave concern for our country as we all agree that the number one threat to our homeland security is the southern border. in fact, since joe biden has been president we've seen 382 individuals that have come over that border that are on the terrorist watch list. behind me i have the governor of

louisiana with me and he and his state and people in this country went through a horrific event on new year's day. one we never want to see repeated again. this governor behind me is concerned also about an upcoming event which is the super bowl coming shortly, which we need to do all that we can to work together that he that's reassurance that the federal government, the department of homeland security is prepared to help him protect that event and to keep people safe while they are there. those 382 terrorists are known terrorists that came over our border, we don't know necessarily where they are because of what has been happening under joe biden's policies. now president trump obviously won the last election with the clear mandate. the american people to security that border but also we need to focus on domestic terrorism and home grown terrorism that you just referenced in your question. home grown terrorism is on the rise. we see more incident of people that are u.s. citizens that have

become radicalized and knowing when people are leaving the country and coming back and changes to their behaviors and what their actions are is critically important. the resources that the department of homeland security has needs to be utilized as far as identifying those threats and being pro-active to prevent them. but also protecting civil rights and liberties in that process and making sure that the department is on mission to do what is was called to do, why it was created and what authorities that congress and the senate has given them. my hope is that governor landri and his staff and people and the people that attend the super bowl know that the department of homeland security is their partner, is on watch to protect them and keep that event safe. i hope all americans know the leadership has consequences. i hope we can get through and get your support for this nomination to get confirmed quickly so that we can address the threats that we currently face and make sure we don't have any repeats of the day we saw just starting this year on new

year's day. >> in the last two years, we have seen increasingly aggressive cyberattacks against our federal agencies. just last month chinese hackers infiltrated the department of treasury and stole potentially thousands of unclassified documents. so given these concerning trends by the prc to hold our federal networks hostage, do you believe that federal agencies should be required to implement cybersecurity upgrades and maintain the highest cybersecurity standards to protect sensitive or classified data and u.s. citizen information as well? >> well senator, the mission of is cybersecurity and infrastructure agency, the mission of it is to hunt and harden. find those bad actors and help work with local and state infrastructure and entities to help them be prepared for such cyberattacks and that they can

make sure that they are hardening their systems to protect them in the future recognizing the vulnerabilities they have. this has gotten far off mission. they are using their resources in ways that was never intended. the misinformation and disinformation that they have stuck their toe into and meddled with should be refocused back to what their job is, to support critical infrastructure and help local and small businesses and critical infrastructure at the state level to have the resources and be prepared for those cyberattacks that they will face. salt typhoon was a campaign of espionage by the prc in china against the telecoms where large amount of data was stolen and taken and people's private information was taken as well. we've also seen china and the prc go after our critical infrastructure with the volt typhoon act. that was extremely dangerous. there was no reason for them to do that just to steal people's data and information.

the reason for them to go after that was to control our critical infrastructure for the ability to see if they could shut down a water plant, utility company. that was to cripple our country. so these threats are real. cisa needs to be much more effective. smaller, more nimble to fulfill their mission, to hunt and help harden our nation's critical infrastructure. >> thank you. >> senator scott. >> congratulations on your nomination. i think you will do a great job. i think it's great you are a governor and you bring that expertise to the table. so i just went through a campaign to get reelected. after the butler shooting i asked people. i said raise your hand if you think the acting director of the secret service will tell us what happened? not one person. i said what about secretary mayorkas? he is running hhs, what do you

think? homeland security? what do you think? i said how about christopher wray? the head of the f.b.i., not one person. can you just talk about the importance of transparency and accountability in government and how you will bring that to the table? >> yeah. senator scott, thank you for that question. that's what i found across the country as well and i know it's true in my home state of south dakota. people don't trust the federal government. they don't trust our leadership in the current administration in the white house right now to tell them the truth. to tell them the truth about what the threats really are. about our agencies and departments, when there are failures, addressing them and fixing it. the secret service is one of those perfect examples. they need leadership that understands why that secret service was created and what it needs to do. there are two elements the secret service is tasked with and that is protective detail and also investigations. yet we see investigators within the secret service out there

investigating antiquities and other things that are off mission when they should be focused making sure to address national security events with the protocols necessary and protecting individuals that they are charged with and getting that skill set and training necessary. that's been compromised by not having enough people there and being adequately staffed and resources. but frankly the leadership hasn't been honest about talking about it. we saw it with the drones over new jersey as well. the federal government not answering the questions from the public. when they finally got a straight answer out of president trump they felt reassured that somebody recognized that this was something they were questioning and that they deserved answers. my goal and my mission is to build trust. we will undertake a large job and a large duty that we have to fulfill that the american people expect us to do by securing our border. to make sure that our nation is a nation with borders or we're no nation at all. and that we are making sure that those criminal actors that are

perpetuating violence in our communities and in our cities and towns and states are removed from this country. that there are consequences for breaking the law in our country again. there has to be consequences. when americans break the law there is consequences. why would we allow someone from another country and not have consequences or allow them to continue to go forward and to commit rape and murders and other -- break other laws that endanger our society? we've had over 13,000 murders that are loose in this country that came over the border. almost 16,000 rapists and sexual asolateers that are loose in the country now. 425,000 plus people have criminal convictions that are here illegally in this country that our current administration is doing nothing to round them up and get them out of the country. we'll do that immediately and the priority and that's one of the reasons that today the

american people have lost their trust. president trump will build it back and know that their federal government is accountable to them and working to put america first again. >> did joe biden completely opened our southern border and as a former governor i know when the federal government policies are broken and failing americans you see the impacts in your state like i did when i was governor and take the steps necessary to protect families in your state. i know you've done that. you sent troops our national guard to the southern border. can you talk more about how biden's open border policies affected your state and communities and the role your state resources placed in helping secure the border? >> we certainly have seen the effects in south dakota that many of your states did. i would say every state has seen the effects of an open border and the policies under the biden administration. we saw increased crime but we also saw increased drug activity. we saw cartel and their affiliates moving into our state

to proliferate trafficking and saw peopleer being victimized. when texas was adressing the situation and asked other governors for help, we sent help. i know many of the other governors at the time were sending law enforcement. i made the decision that at that time that it was more appropriate to send the national guard. that our national guard could be activated under title 32 and sent to assist another state from an envision that was happening and because the national guard is trained for just such a mission. because of this invasion, that it is a war zone down there with what they are going to see. the threats that they would see and that they are trained specifically to interact with other agencies. the national guard is used to falling in with other agencies and cooperating with them and could do that seamlessly and their families and communities are normalized to them being deployed. so we have in south dakota deployed our national guard to the southern border eight different times. two of them were federal

deployments that the biden administration sent them down there. one was to send our lakota helicopters used for surveillance in the drug interdiction going on down there. six other times i sent them under state activation to partner with texas and other states in securing our southern border. they did security operations, they also did building of the wall and partnered with texas recognizing the failures of the federal government. the failures of the federal government are significant and we've seen our families and communities devastated by those effects by the drug epidemic and trafficking going on, increased crime and we recognize that just because the federal government wasn't doing their job, we could not fail our state and i needed to protect the people of south dakota and the people of south dakota were overwhelmingly supportive of these deployment and very proud of our national guard. >> when i was governor of florida there was a terrorist attack in paris by syrian refugees. so president obama was president and i said i would like to know

if you are going to send refugees to my state that you give us some background on them. i assume you vetted them. you have to tell our state law enforcement and local law en norsement. they said go jump in the lake, meaner than that but you have no rights as a governor. that made no sense. we had over 70,000 people come here after afghanistan on planes into this country completely unvetted. they've never given our governors any information. so would you change that? >> yes. the communication between states and the federal government has been absolutely broken and that's what i love about this committee. you have governors sitting on this committee been in the role and have the responsibility for being ceos of their state. a different perspective. i served in congress too and both are extremely important and they are just different in that responsibility that weighs on your shoulder.

i often told folks that is the thing that most times if something was going to keep me up at night it was the responsibility i had being commander-in-chief recognizing the decisions i made, i'm sure you had this feeling as well, senator scott, as governor that impacted those families, those soldiers, and impacted their communities when we pulled them out and the importance of that and when they were bringing refugees into the country i as welcome unindicated that to the federal government. they were bringing refugees. i asked how they were vetted and how we were working with home countries to find out who they were and why they were coming to the united states and received no information from this administration. that that vetting process was being done, that we knew where they were going. they kept us in the dark and didn't communicate to us even what states and where those refugees were being placed. that's something we need to change when we have programs that fall under the purview of the department of homeland security there needs to be communication especially with

the governors so we can coordinate to insure it's the right thing for that state. >> thank you. senator hasen. >> thank you, mr. chair and welcome governor noem. really appreciate you being here. welcome to your family as well and families do share in this kind of public service and we appreciate them very much. as we discussed at our meeting last month, as a former governor i appreciate the important responsibilities that governors have to insure the safety and security of their communities by managing public safety and emergency agencies and i will say that in many ways i agree with some of the things that senator scott just said about improving communication between the department of homeland security and governors around who is being sent to states. it is a critical issue and something that i was frustrated by when i was governor. so i look forward to hearing more today about your priorities

if confirmed about how your experience as governor would help you run the department of homeland security. let me just start by following up with a question that senator peters had also touched on. we have recently in new hampshire seen a dramatic increase in unauthorized border crossings at the northern border and when i was at the northern border recently law enforcement told me about the need for more personnel and resources. we still don't have cell phone coverage in a lot of the stretch of our northern border. i worked with senator kramer on bipartisan legislation to strengthen the northern border strategy. it is clear more support is needed. governor, if you are confirmed would you deploy additional full-time personnel and upgrade equipment along the northern border? >> senator, i enjoyed our meeting that we had and you identifying the northern border issues that are going on. the lack of security and the lack of technologies that you

really need to cover some of the landscapes that are there. very different than the southern border. some just as equally challenging but all need to be addressed. i definitely will be working with you to insure that our northern border is adequately resourced as well and we do have to have the resources in order to be successful. that's something i want to work with congress, with the senate and the house on to insure the resources are there to meet the challenges that we have. we have not fully utilized the technologies that are available that are necessary to really secure this country and to compete with those bad actors which wish to infiltrate our country. and having the ability to utilize them will make us much more safe. i will work with you most definitely insuring the northern border is protected. >> i appreciate that and i just note, too, at the same time there is real concern in new hampshire and along the northern border that we strengthen the border and have the resources we need. we also have a really strong economic relationship with our

partner and friends to the north and a lot of family relationships. i think it is important we're smart in the deployment of technology. we don't want to impede that flow of economy and people that is lawful, but we do want to make sure we have the resources we need. i want to turn to the southern border now. at the southern border we need significant technological investments to support law enforcement personnel in their efforts to catch fentanyl smugglers, to stop human traffickers and seize the cash and illegal guns that criminals traffic southward to the cartels. we talked about this a little bit. there is bipartisan support for these investments and i've worked with colleagues including senators langford and cornyn on legislation around these issues. could you identify specific technological investments you would make at the southern border and are you willing to work with me on increasing southbound inspections if you are confirmed? >> yes, certainly senator. you have heard president trump talk about the need to build a

wall and the wall and infrastructure is critically important bend at the ports of entry we need technologies so flow can happen north and south and it can happen in a legal manner to insure our commerce can continue to operate and we can continue to make sure we're also secure. i think shipments are a concern and the need to look at those and how traffickers and fentanyl distributors are useings that. we also need to use scanners, surveillance operations. there is new technologies out there to cooperate with satellites in some area where the topography does not necessarily facilitate having actual infrastructure and also the ability to make sure that we're utilizing that technology that allows us to know what is going south that might be fueling some of the violence that ends up coming back north. insuring that we're stopping that before it has the chance to

sly those cartel and bad actors that come in. >> i appreciate that. the southbound flow of cash and weapons fuels the cartels and strengthens them and it is something that we really have to focus on. >> absolutely. >> i want to follow up on the issue of cybersecurity. recently criminals launched a successful cyberattack on power school, a cloud based record management system that contains personal information about tens of millions of kindergartners through high school seniors including many students and teachers in new hampshire. it comes as schools and local governments across the country have seen a surge in cyberattacks on their systems. and when a small school of maybe a couple thousands has to pay $2 million in ransom. what that does to a small community. if you are confirmed how will you empower the cybersecurity

and infrastructure security agency to improve the cybersecurity of state and local governments in the united states? >> thank you, senator. if i am confirmed and have the opportunity to serve as secretary of this department, i will 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. what they should be doing is helping the small entities, those schools, those local city governments, the state governments and the small businesses that are critical infrastructure that don't have the resources to stay on top of the critical protections that they need to enact. >> let me follow up quickly on that one point. something we discussed when we had our meeting. i worked with senator cornyn on a bipartisan bill that became law that created suber security grant program for state and local governments in addition to each state getting a cyber coordinator to help on the ground. we discussed this program and i know you as governor had some

reservations about the structure of the program. if confirmed, will you commit to working with congress to adjust it? i love your input about what gave you pause as governor. i think there were only two governors who didn't participate in the program. and i hope that as we work on the concerns you have, you would work with me to adjust and reauthorize the program. >> all grants within the department will be evaluated when i come in and be looked at to see what we can do to make sure that they are actually fulfilling the mission to which they were established. what i would say about the cybersecurity grants in south dakota, when i came in as governor, one of my main priorities was to bring the next industry into the state and i determined that that would be technology and cybersecurity. in fact, we have dakota state university a cybersecurity national leader in training those cyber warriors we need to protect us and keep us safe. i have since then partnered to

grow and double the size of that school. we train a lot of nsa employees in south dakota and so understanding cybersecurity and my experience in that is critically important to the department and bringing it to the table to do this. you talked about why we didn't take that cybersecurity grant in south dakota and it is because the requirements of that grant would have caused me he to grow my state government, the administration costs of it would have been much more than what it would have been able to facilitate at the local level. and our state was already pro-actively helping these individuals that needed the resources to have those systems. >> very few requirements in the grant program other than to make sure the money was being spent the way we authorize. let's continue to talk about that. >> thank you. >> senator hawley. >> i'm delieded to see you here. i notice the chairman of the ways and means committee is over your shoulder. question your judgment who your friends are based oh than that.

the great chairman from the state of missouri. fantastic to have you here. the department of homeland security is not particularly old but you already have the what i hope will soon be the distinction of succeeding. the worst secretary in the history of the department of homeland security, alejandro mayorkas has been an absolute disgrace to that department. frankly to this country. i'm delighted to see you willing to step up and serve. left me ask you something. i repeatedly asked your predecessor when he sat where you are sitting whether the southern border was secure and he repeatedly told me under oath it is secure, senator. and he repeatedly said under oath our policies are working, senator, meaning the biden administration policies that gave us this devastating open border. let me just ask you. is the southern border secure as we find it today? >> no, the southern border is not secure today. in just three days we'll have a new president in this country, president trump. and he will secure our border.

>> that is refreshing candor. a young man from my state, this is travis wolf, 12 years old. when he was killed just over a year ago by an illegal migrant who mowed him down. i choose my words carefully in a motor vehicle, hit him head on doing 75 in a 40. killed him, others were severely injured. just yesterday a witness sitting where you are sitting today told this committee that migrant crime is, and i quote, not an actual concern. not an actual concern. in a hearing before this advising us not focusing on immigrant crime. officers in kansas city and others who have been assaulted and others carjacked and stabbed. would you agree with me that migrant crime is an actual

concern and that you intend to do something about it? >> yes, senator, absolutely. i am so sorry about travis and his -- my prayers go out to his family. i can't even imagine what that is like. thank you for telling his story because there are so many families in this country that have that same story and they don't understand why the federal government is allowing people to come into this country illegally and then perpetuate crimes against their people and then give them resources, shelter rick food, and debit cards to take care of their family when they go to work every day to make sure they are provided for their families. and are held accountable when they break our laws. >> will you work with president trump to reinstate the remain in mexico program that the president had in place in his first term which does so much to insure those who would seek to abuse our asylum system are not allowed into the country and those who have legitimate asylum claims they are processed in due course but wait in mexico until the claims are processed. will you work to reinstate that

program? >> the president and i have talked extensively about this and will 100% partner with him to reinstate the remain in mexico policy and make sure it's in place. >> travis might be alive today if that policy had been in place. cbp one the phone up, service for illegal im granulitis. the biden administration's efforts to allow asylum seekers to apply ahead of time using their phones but not actually to provide any evidence that they needed asylum. there is a newspaper report, press report that said the only problem with the app is it never asks users are you seeking as asylum. they simply release these so-called asylum seekers into the country and parole. sometimes never given a hearing. inspector general actually did a report, full investigation report on cbp1 and found that frequently users of this app were claiming the same addresses in the united states as their