Noem publicly comments after Trump fires her: ‘We have made historic accomplishments’
Kristi Noem publicly commented after she was fired by President Donald Trump on Thursday.
The former homeland security secretary was let go after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, including the handling of the administration's immigration crackdown and disaster response, The Associated Press reported.
"Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas," she wrote on X. @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 grandchildren."
Trump said on Truth Social that he is making Noem a "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas," a new security initiative he created to focus on the Western Hemisphere.
"The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security," Noem said in her statement . "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. We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again: we delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard."
Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave during Trump's second term, The Associated Press wrote. This week, Noem faced blistering criticism from Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
One particular point of scrutiny was a $220 million ad featuring Noem that encouraged people in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.
Lawmakers also pressed Noem to apologize for characterizing Renee Good and Alex Pretti as domestic terrorists.
The DHS has also been at the center of a funding battle in Congress over immigration enforcement tactics and has been shut down for 20 days, although many employees are continuing to work, often without pay.
Noem also faced criticism — including from Republicans — over the pace of emergency funding approved through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and for the Trump administration's response to disasters, The Associated Press reported.
Trump said he has nominated Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to take her place.
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