President Donald Trump took Washington by surprise Thursday with his decision to remove Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, but few lawmakers on Capitol Hill questioned his decision. <\/p>\n
Though Republicans rarely criticized Noem during her tenure, many GOP lawmakers argued Thursday that the secretary\u2019s ouster was the right move. Trump quickly nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., a close ally, to head the sprawling agency Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
‘I think the president is doing what’s necessary to make sure the department is going to be operating effectively,’ Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who welcomed the news of Mullin’s appointment, said Thursday. ‘It was time.’<\/p>\n
Mullin, a 48-year-old lawmaker, is a member of Senate Republicans’ leadership team and previously served several terms in the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Noem\u2019s time helming DHS was rocked by a series of controversies involving an expensive ad campaign she claimed had Trump\u2019s approval and her widely-panned response to the fatal shootings of two Americans in Minneapolis by federal immigration officers earlier this year.<\/p>\n
‘Obviously, it did not go well,’ Donalds added when asked about Noem\u2019s appearance during two hearings on Capitol Hill this week.<\/p>\n
Several GOP lawmakers, including Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Kennedy, R-La., tore into Noem during her appearance before the Senate\u2019s judiciary panel on Tuesday. <\/p>\n
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a moderate lawmaker retiring at the end of his term, echoed Kennedy\u2019s criticism questioning Noem\u2019s prominent role in the costly ad campaign and her ties to recipients awarded contracts.<\/p>\n
‘There\u2019s legit concerns. When there was a $200 million advertising [campaign], we should be better stewards of our money,’ Bacon said. ‘I think the president probably saw a need for change.’<\/p>\n
DHS has fired back<\/u> that the massive ad campaign resulted in millions of self-deportations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital Thursday that Noem\u2019s departure would eliminate ‘distractions’ and ‘conflicts’ that erupted at DHS under her leadership.<\/p>\n
‘The department needs to be entirely focused on its mission, given the situation in the Middle East right now,’ Lawler said, referring to Operation Epic Fury in Iran. <\/p>\n
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who is not running for reelection, wrote<\/u> on social media Thursday that a ‘change in leadership at the Department of Homeland Security was long overdue.’<\/p>\n
House Democrats, many of whom fiercely criticized Noem\u2019s role in the Trump administration, appeared to agree.<\/p>\n
‘She\u2019s done enough damage that the president finally came to his senses,’ Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the lead Democrat on the House homeland security panel, said Thursday. <\/p>\n
‘I think it’s the right decision by the president. It’s been a long time coming,’ Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n
Moskowitz, who tussled with Noem during her testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, argued that she would go down as the worst DHS secretary in the agency\u2019s two-decade history. He declined, however, to sign on to articles of impeachment circulated by House Democrats.<\/p>\n
When asked about Mullin\u2019s appointment, Moskowitz said he wished him good luck. ‘She’s left him a disaster, but obviously I want him to succeed,’ the Florida Democrat said of Noem’s tenure. ‘We should all want that, so let’s give him that opportunity.’<\/p>\n