Noem's DHS Tenure: Wins & Criticism

0:00It's March 25th. Welcome in. This is Entertainment and Celebrity News, where pop culture meets AI. I'm Cory with the story. Christie Knowham is stepping down as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security after President Donald Trump removed her from the position earlier this month. The 54-year-old former South Dakota governor shared a farewell message on her last day, Tuesday, March 24th, highlighting what she called major winds under her watch. She pointed to achievements like securing the most protected border in U.S. history, with 3 million undocumented immigrants leaving the country, and locating 145,000 unaccompanied children. Knowham also credited her team with speeding up disaster relief by 100 percent, improving travel, saving taxpayers $13 billion, and strengthening the Coast Guard. Now, she's taking on a new job as special envoy for the shield of the Americas, drawing on her past roles as governor and congresswoman on the House, Armed Services Committee.

1:01Lawmakers push back hard during her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3rd and the House Judiciary Committee on March 4th, blasting her for mishandling the department. That same Tuesday, Trump named Oklahoma Senator Mark Wayne Mullin as her replacement, and Mullin was sworn in right away, signaling a quick shift at the top of Homeland Security.