Kristi Noem

Early Life & Education

Kristi Lynn Arnold was born on November 30, 1971, in Watertown, South Dakota, the daughter of Ron and Corinne Arnold. She grew up on her family's farm and ranch in Hamlin County, where she was raised in a rural agricultural household. The experience of farm life shaped her political identity and her later emphasis on property rights, limited federal regulation, and South Dakota's agricultural economy.

She attended South Dakota State University (SDSU) in Brookings, where she studied plant science and business administration. She left before completing her degree after her father was killed in a farming accident in 1994, returning to help manage the family farm. Noem eventually completed her bachelor's degree in political science from SDSU in 2012, while serving in Congress.

South Dakota State Legislature (2007–2011)

Noem entered elected office in 2006, winning a seat in the South Dakota House of Representatives representing District 5. She was re-elected in 2008, serving on the Agriculture and Natural Resources and Commerce and Energy committees. Her time in the state legislature established her as a fiscal conservative focused on tax reduction, agricultural policy, and opposition to federal mandates on state governments.

U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2019)

Noem won South Dakota's at-large congressional seat in the 2010 midterm elections, defeating incumbent Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. She was re-elected four times. In the House, she served on the Ways and Means Committee and was a member of the Republican Study Committee. She was among the representatives who voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the signature legislative achievement of Trump's first term.

During her congressional tenure, Noem was consistently rated as one of the more conservative members of the House Republican caucus by groups such as the American Conservative Union. She focused legislative attention on agriculture, water rights, and reducing federal agency overreach into state land use.

Governor of South Dakota (2019–2025)

Noem was elected Governor of South Dakota in 2018, defeating Democrat Billie Sutton with 51.6% of the vote. She was inaugurated in January 2019 as the first woman to serve as Governor of South Dakota. She was re-elected in 2022 by a wide margin, carrying 62% of the vote.

COVID-19 Response

Noem became a nationally prominent figure during the COVID-19 pandemic for her decision not to issue a statewide lockdown order or mask mandate, making South Dakota one of the few states that never implemented broad pandemic-era restrictions. She argued that such measures were government overreach and that South Dakotans were capable of making their own decisions.

The decision drew both significant praise from conservatives — including an invitation to speak at national Republican events — and criticism from public health officials, as South Dakota recorded among the highest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in the country during the delta wave of 2021. She hosted the 2020 Mount Rushmore fireworks celebration attended by President Trump, which critics argued contributed to a local case surge.

Social and Legislative Policy

During her governorship, Noem signed several high-profile pieces of legislation:

• Legislation restricting transgender athletes in girls' and women's school sports (2022), making South Dakota one of the first states to enact such a law.
• Near-total abortion ban following the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in June 2022, which returned abortion regulation to states.
• Tax policy reform aimed at eliminating the state grocery tax and maintaining South Dakota's status as a no-income-tax state.
• Permitless carry legislation allowing South Dakota residents to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.

Secretary of Homeland Security (2025–present)

Senate Confirmation

President Trump nominated Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2024. She was confirmed by the Senate on January 25, 2025, by a vote of 59–34, a notably bipartisan margin for a national security post. Several Democratic senators voted for confirmation, citing her executive experience as governor and her stated commitment to border security operations.

Priorities and Actions

Since taking over DHS, Noem has prioritized:

• Border enforcement operations — expanded coordination between Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. military assets deployed to the southern border.
• Deportation operations — Noem has overseen a significant increase in interior enforcement operations and deportation flights under the Trump administration's immigration agenda.
• Cybersecurity — continued development of CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) capabilities for critical infrastructure protection.
• FEMA reform — Noem has signaled support for proposals to restructure or significantly reduce FEMA's role in disaster response, arguing that states should hold primary responsibility for preparedness and recovery.

DHS Partial Funding Lapse (2026)

In January 2026, following Congress's failure to pass a full-year appropriations bill, DHS entered a partial funding lapse. Noem confirmed in written Congressional testimony that FEMA had been directed to limit operations to “bare minimum, life-saving activities,” pausing non-essential preparedness grant disbursements.

The lapse drew significant attention in the context of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where all 11 U.S. host cities testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on February 25, 2026, that nearly $900 million in approved security grants were frozen. The funding covers overtime for security personnel, counter-drone systems, cybersecurity infrastructure, and venue hardening, with the tournament opening 107 days away.

Controversies

“No Going Back” Memoir (2024)

In her 2024 memoir No Going Back, Noem disclosed that she had shot and killed her 14-month-old dog Cricket after the dog, she wrote, proved difficult to train as a hunting dog and had “ruined” a pheasant hunt. The passage drew swift and widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from prominent Republicans, and briefly became a focal point in coverage of her vice-presidential prospects. Noem defended the account as an example of the hard decisions required in farm and ranch life.

False Claim Regarding Kim Jong Un Meeting

The same memoir contained a claim that Noem had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The claim was quickly disputed and could not be corroborated; Noem subsequently acknowledged the passage contained an error. The episode intensified questions about her foreign policy credentials during the Senate confirmation proceedings.

COVID Pandemic Performance

South Dakota's decision not to lock down generated lasting debate about the tradeoffs between economic continuity and public health outcomes. The state recorded disproportionately high per-capita death rates during certain phases of the pandemic, a record that critics raised during her DHS nomination hearings. Supporters argued the economic and liberty costs of lockdowns justified the approach.

Personal Life

Noem married Bryon Noem in 1992. They have three children: Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker. The family maintains agricultural operations in South Dakota. Noem is a Methodist Christian and has spoken publicly about faith as a guiding force in her political decisions. She lists hunting, farming, and fitness among her personal pursuits.

See Also

• Trump Administration: Full policy and executive action coverage
• U.S. World Cup Host Cities Warn of Security Funding Crisis Due to DHS Partial Shutdown
• 2026 FIFA World Cup: Full coverage hub
• News Hub