Kristi Noem speaks at the Sergeant Benevolent Association conference at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 5, 2026, shortly after President Donald Trump announced she would be replaced as Homeland Security secretary.
Nicole Hester | Via Reuters
President Donald Trump’s firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will not break the DHS funding logjam, Democrats said on Thursday.
Trump announced the firing in a Truth Social post Thursday, naming Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as her replacement. Her axing comes amid a funding lapse for DHS that began Feb. 14, as Democrats try to negotiate new immigration enforcement policies within the agency to dial back what they say has been overreach.
“Not one bit,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said on Thursday when asked if Noem’s departure changed DHS funding dynamics. “Not until we have clear assurances that ICE and CBP behavior is going to improve and they’re going to start behaving like real police officers and not running around like a bunch of thugs and crazies.”
Democrats have demanded sweeping changes at DHS after federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis in January. Democrats maintained their position after the U.S. entered a conflict with Iran over the weekend, heightening concerns about retaliation from Iran and its supporters.
They have called for federal immigration agents to cease wearing masks, begin wearing body cameras and end warrantless searches, among other things. The White House and Republicans have pushed back on those demands, as the partial government shutdown drags on.
Asked at a press conference Thursday what Democrats and Republicans might be able to find middle ground on, House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., said “Not much.”
“Because what they’re asking for is absolutely ridiculous,” McClain said.
On Thursday, most Senate Democrats blocked for a third time a proposal to fund DHS. The House also took up DHS funding Thursday, advancing the legislation on a 221-209 vote with four Democrats joining all Republicans in support. But the bill does not have the support in the Senate to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold, meaning the shutdown will continue.
Mullin, a loyal ally of Trump’s who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, will need to be confirmed by his peers in the Senate before taking on the role in a permanent capacity. Trump said Mullin would take the helm on March 31.
“Good riddance,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said of Noem, in a video posted to X. “But the problems at DHS go much deeper than just one person. They’ve got to rein in ICE and end the violence.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee and a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policy, echoed Schumer’s sentiment.
“I’m glad she’s gone. She was incompetent and horrible for the country. But she wasn’t in charge. Stephen Miller’s in charge and that doesn’t change,” Murphy told reporters on Thursday, referring to Trump’s deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser.
