Watch Live: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem testifies at Senate hearing
What to know about Noem's testimony to Congress:
- Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, her first appearance before lawmakers since the Trump administration's recent immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
- Noem's long-anticipated testimony comes after calls for more oversight over DHS reached a fever pitch following the Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good and the Jan. 24 shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents. Since then, the administration took steps to turn down the temperature in Minneapolis, and began bringing the ICE surge to an end last month.
- Meanwhile, DHS has been shut down since Feb. 14, as lawmakers remain at an impasse in negotiations to reform immigration enforcement in exchange for funding the department. But the newly launched war with Iran has raised concerns about allowing DHS agencies to go unfunded.
- The hearing can be live-streamed in the video player at the top of this page. Follow live updates below.
Noem arrives for hearing
Noem arrived in the hearing room and took a seat while photographers snapped photos.
House committee to consider DHS funding bill today, teeing up vote this week
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.
Noem to testify before House committee tomorrow
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.
Partial shutdown, ICE reform negotiations hang over testimony
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.
Lawmakers' long push for Noem to testify
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.
