WASHINGTON \u2014 Sens. Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski called for Homeland Security Secretary\u00a0Kristi Noem to resign\u00a0Tuesday, making them the first Republicans\u00a0in Congress\u00a0to say she should step down.<\/p>\n
Asked whether he had confidence in Noem, Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters on Capitol Hill: \u201cNo, not at all. I think she should go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tillis, who is\u00a0not running seeking another term in Congress, said some of Noem’s actions reflected “amateurish assistant-manager-sort of thought processes,” calling them “unacceptable” for someone in a Cabinet-level position.<\/p>\n
“If I were in her position, I can’t think of any point of pride over the last year,” he said.<\/p>\n
Murkowski, R-Alaska, whose term runs until January 2029, said Noem should not be running DHS.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, she should go,\u201d Murkowski told NBC News.<\/p>\n
Tillis and Murkowski, who have shown willingness to break with the administration more than other GOP lawmakers, made the comments days after federal officers shot and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, where an immigration officer killed Renee Good this month.<\/p>\n
Tillis said Noem or President Donald Trump have to decide whether she should step down.<\/p>\n
DHS did not provide a comment on the senators’ remarks, but the White House\u00a0pointed to\u00a0Trump’s comments\u00a0earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
In an\u00a0interview with Fox News, Trump said he still has faith in Noem, calling her work at the border \u201ca tremendous success,\u201d while noting that her accomplishments happened alongside border \u201cczar\u201d Tom Homan \u201cand the whole group.\u201d<\/p>\n
Homan on Tuesday took over the reins in Minneapolis,\u00a0replacing Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino\u00a0as the main point of contact for immigration enforcement operations on the ground there.<\/p>\n
After Pretti was killed last week, Noem was quick to defend federal officials, claiming Pretti had approached officers with a gun \u201cwishing to inflict harm\u201d on them, and that he \u201cviolently resisted\u201d when they “attempted to disarm” him. But eyewitness video\u00a0contradicted that narrative, showing that Pretti did not have a weapon in hand during the confrontation that led to his death.<\/p>\n
The White House on Monday distanced itself from Noem\u2019s remarks, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Trump \u201cwants to let the facts and the investigation lead itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., sidestepped Tuesday when asked if he has confidence in Noem.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe serves at the pleasure of the president,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cThe important thing is that the president\u2019s got confidence in his team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some Republicans said they have confidence in Noem, including Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., while Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said she should implement \u201cpolicy changes\u201d at DHS and review the recent Minnesota shooting.<\/p>\n
Centrist Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Appropriations Committee that controls the DHS budget, didn’t go as far as Murkowski or Tillis when asked about Noem.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have urged her to have a pause in both Minnesota and Maine on this surge of enforcement,\u201d Collins said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Numerous\u00a0congressional Democrats\u00a0have said already said Noem should resign. Still, some warned that ousting Noem won\u2019t change immigration policy, even if they would like to see her replaced.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s unqualified, but so will the next DHS secretary,\u201d said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. \u201cThe name on the door of DHS doesn\u2019t really matter. This is an operation being run by the president and Stephen Miller.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said dismissing Noem \u201cwould be the smart play for the administration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t want DHS Secretary Steve Miller,” he said, referring to the White House deputy chief of staff for policy. “I mean, that removal isn\u2019t enough, because then the question is, well, who are you going to put in next?\u201d<\/p>\n
The focus on Noem also comes as the Senate faces a crucial deadline of Friday at midnight to pass a massive funding bill or face a partial government shutdown starting Saturday. The bill is expected to come up Thursday. It requires 60 votes to advance, and Democrats have made clear they will block it unless the DHS portion is revised to include guardrails and accountability measures on immigration enforcement operations.<\/p>\n
Murphy said no amount of executive actions or promises by Trump can win over Democrats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing the administration can promise us that will do the job,\u201d he said. \u201cThey can\u2019t be trusted to keep to their promises. So we need to change the DHS bill and build reforms into the language of the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said that \u201cconstructive conversations are happening\u201d about the path forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we should be able to land this,\u201d he said, though he wasn\u2019t sure it could be done by the Friday deadline to prevent a shutdown. \u201cI don\u2019t know about timing.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article was originally published on\u00a0NBCNews.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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