Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified before a Senate panel Tuesday on her department’s budget request for fiscal year 2026, touting the work DHS has already accomplished under President Donald Trump while responding to questions on the budget and legal matters related to the detention and deportation of illegal aliens.
“Now, at the Department of Homeland Security, under President Trump, we’ve already delivered a drastic turnaround in homeland security, from the southern border to our Coast Guard to cyberspace, Noem said during her opening statement, adding, “and we’re just getting started.”
DHS is a $100 billion-plus government agency, and under the previous administration, according to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the DHS budget was weaponized to surveil American citizens and conduct questionable experiments with dangerous viruses.
“Secretary Noem, I appreciate your demonstrating commitment to reversing the obstruction of your predecessor and pushing back on efforts by entrenched bureaucrats within the department to delay, redact, and resist oversight. You’ve inherited a difficult task, restoring accountability to a department that has strayed from its founding mission,” Paul said.
Under the leadership of Trump and Noem, DHS is prioritizing the mission of securing the southern border and removing individuals who entered the country illegally. Senate Republicans praised the administration’s border security efforts, but Noem also faced questions on the size of the DHS budget proposal.
Noem is requesting $46.5 billion for border wall security and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., asked the secretary why was “the request so high when we were able to build so many miles in the first term for a lot less?”
Noem explained that the budget request includes funding not only for wall panels, but also additional surveillance technology, such as for cameras and Customs and Border Protection towers.
“We’re $37 trillion in debt,” Johnson responded. “I’m just going to ask you and the department to sharpen your pencil on that wall request. I think it’s more than you need.”
Noem faced numerous questions from Senate Democrats on the detention and removal of illegal aliens, and specially on habeas corpus.
Habeas corpus gives individuals the right to appear in court and have a judge determine whether their detention is lawful.
“If the president tries to suspend habeas corpus and a federal court reverses the president’s order, will you comply with the court order and uphold habeas corpus, or will you follow the president’s directive?” Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., asked Noem.
“We are following all federal court orders and are complying with that, as is the president and every decision that I make as well,” the Homeland Security chief responded.
“Well, that is obviously not true for anybody who reads the news,” Hassan shot back.
“Well, I wouldn’t rely on the news for your facts,” Noem replied.
Since Trump took office in late January, more than 150,000 illegal aliens have been removed from the U.S., many of whom are criminals. Multiple legal cases are moving through the courts on grounds that some of these illegal aliens have been removed without due process.
This article was originally published at www.dailysignal.com
