Administration Noem responds to DHS ouster, thanks Trump for new role by Ashleigh Fields - 03/05/26 4:08 PM ET by Ashleigh Fields - 03/05/26 4:08 PM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Kristi Noem on Thursday responded to being removed from her post as Homeland Security secretary moments after giving a speech at a conference in Nashville, Tenn., where she mentioned nothing about the ouster. President Trump announced Thursday he would replace Noem with Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R), who is expected to step into the role on March 31. He said Noem would be appointed to a new role as special envoy for The Shield of the Americas . “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 grandchildren,” Noem wrote in a Thursday post on the social platform X, noting the new role she will take on. “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,” Noem wrote. “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,” she continued, citing statistics from the Trump administration. Noem, in front of House and Senate committees this week, received a plethora of criticism from GOP and Democratic lawmakers alike over issues including expensive campaign ads and allegations of a sexual affair with a subordinate. Those grievances were magnified during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republican Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and John Kennedy (La.) railed about her conduct. “We’re an exceptional nation, and one of the reasons we’re exceptional is we expect exceptional leadership, and you’ve demonstrated anything but that,” Tillis said at the Tuesday hearing, hammering her for not swiftly investigating the killing of two U.S. citizens by immigration authorities. In his Thursday post, the president didn’t address any criticism of Noem but said she had “spectacular results (especially on the Border!).” Add as preferred source on Google Tags John Kennedy Kristi Noem Markwayne Mullin Noem ousted Sen. Markwayne Mullin Thom Tillis Trump administration Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email More Administration News See All Senate Tillis praises Mullin as Noem’s successor, says he’ll ‘restore competence’ to DHS by Tara Suter 19 minutes ago Senate  /  19 minutes ago