DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testifies at Senate hearing

At the start of the hearing, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the committee’s chairman, requested the “utmost of decorum” and respect from Noem, the witness, members of the committee and people in the audience.

“This hearing comes amid a Democrat-led funding shutdown for the Secret Service, for FEMA, for TSA and the Coast Guard. These agencies are vital to keeping our country safe.”

Grassley also noted that the hearing also comes amid the ongoing military operation against Iran.

“Now more than ever, I hope the Democrats will decide to end the shutdown,” he said.

Grassley also referenced the deaths of Pretti and Good, without naming them.

 “Mistakes have been made,” he said. “Let’s make it clear: One death is too many. But officers should never be threatened or harmed while enforcing our laws, and there is a clear difference between conduct protected by the First Amendment and unlawful obstruction.”

The Iowa Republican said that the Department of Homeland Security under Noem’s leadership has successfully curbed border crossings and targeted for removal illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Grassley also criticized the prior administration under former President Joe Biden for its handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and what he said was a failure to adequately vet Afghan nationals coming to the U.S.

Noem arrived in the hearing room and took a seat while photographers snapped photos. 

The House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider a measure to fund DHS on Tuesday afternoon, which would tee up a vote in the House later this week. 

The move will put pressure on Democrats to vote to reopen the department as a partial shutdown stretches on. But Democrats have remained unwilling to support funding the department without changes to immigration enforcement. 

With a narrow GOP majority, House Republicans may be able to stay united and pass the measure on their own. But it would need support from Democrats in the Senate to clear a 60-vote threshold.

Following Tuesday’s testimony before the Senate panel, Noem is also set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing on Wednesday.

Noem’s testimony comes as her department is operating in a shutdown, being the only department to go unfunded amid a standoff between Democrats and Republicans over how to reform the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation. The funding lapse began on Feb. 14. 

DHS, which oversees immigration enforcement agencies ICE and CBP, also oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard. And workers who continue to perform their jobs during the partial shutdown began missing paychecks in recent days. 

Democrats and the White House have been trading proposals for reforms in recent weeks. But an imminent breakthrough has appeared far off. 

Still, House GOP leaders argued that the war with Iran adds urgency to the DHS funding issue. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, said in a post on X on Sunday that it’s “dangerous for Democrats in Washington to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down” following the strikes and elevated domestic threats. 

“This week, we are calling on House Democrats to end their dangerous games by bringing to the floor legislation to end the DHS shutdown so we can ensure agencies can protect America during this dangerous time,” Scalise said. 

A Senate GOP effort to fund DHS fell short last week, with all but one Democrat voting against advancing the measure. Democrats have remained stalwart in their position that they will not fund DHS without reforms to the immigration enforcement agencies.

The Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign has remained funded despite the shutdown, thanks to a multibillion-dollar cash infusion for ICE and CBP that lawmakers passed last summer as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Noem has faced intense scrutiny since the two deadly shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis, prompting calls from lawmakers for her to appear before multiple committees to answer for her department’s operations and her personal reactions to the shooting.

The fiercest criticism came after Pretti’s death, when Noem quickly alleged that Pretti approached Border Patrol agents with a gun and violently resisted after officers tried to disarm him. Videos of the incident did not show Pretti brandishing a gun. Lawmakers lambasted Noem for rushing to judgment, including members of her own party. 

Noem faced calls for her resignation due to her handling of the Pretti shooting. At Tuesday’s hearings, she’ll likely face questions from a number of Democrats over her conduct, and possibly some Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who was the first GOP senator to call for Noem’s ouster, sits on the committee. 

Noem’s testimony comes after the leaders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services testified before House and Senate committees last month about the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. The officials faced questions about Noem’s handling of the department and whether she should resign, while some lawmakers voiced frustration that she hadn’t yet testified herself.