Kim breaks with most fellow Senate Dems to support Noem for DHS Secretary

In a pair of weekend votes, the U.S. Senate confirmed two of President Donald Trump’s more controversial Cabinet nominees, now-Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and now-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem – and Senator Andy Kim was one of just seven Democrats to support the latter’s nomination.

Noem, the firebrand former governor of South Dakota, was opposed by most Democratic senators, among them New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. But Kim, who had the opportunity to question Noem directly as a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said that he wanted to maintain a strong relationship with Noem even on the points on which they disagree, leading him to vote yes on her nomination (which was approved yesterday, 59 to 34).

“While we disagreed strongly on a number of key points of Trump’s agenda, we both agreed that we could more effectively raise and try to address the pressing needs and concerns of communities and families in New Jersey if we communicate and engage directly with one another,” Kim said in a statement. “Because of this agreement to communicate and work together through the Homeland Security Committee, I voted to support Governor Noem’s nomination, but I won’t hesitate to use my oversight authority to stand up against actions that go against our Constitution and our values.”

Noem’s position atop the Homeland Security Department means that, among other things, she’ll be in charge of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, which was in the news in New Jersey this week after it conducted a raid in Newark; Kim said that he intends to use his committee posting and his relationship with Noem to work together on immigration issues.

“We need to secure our border and create an orderly process but should do so while governing with the values that have made the United States a beacon of hope across the world,” he said. “I will work to hold Governor Noem and the entire Trump Administration accountable to this and will use my direct line of communication to her to get clarity over DHS’ actions and to lift up the pressing problems facing immigrant communities and families.”

On the weekend’s other nomination, though, Kim, Booker, and the rest of their Democratic colleagues were in lockstep. 

Hegseth, a U.S. Army veteran and former Fox News host, faced allegations of sexual assault, financial mismanagement, and drunkenness that turned his nomination into the first major confirmation battle of the second Trump administration. The allegations against the now-secretary were alarming enough that three Senate Republicans opposed his nomination, pushing the vote to a 50-50 tie that Vice President JD Vance had to break.

“Mr. Hegseth should be recognized for his service, but he should not be Secretary of Defense,” Kim said in a speech on the Senate floor before the vote. “For the sake of our country and our national security, I encourage my colleagues who want to support this president to oppose this nomination and bring forth another nominee more qualified for the role.”