Sen. Tim Kaine says supporting Kristi Noem as DHS secretary was a “big mistake”

Washington — Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, expressed regret on Sunday for supporting Kristi Noem for Department of Homeland Security secretary last year. 

“Big mistake,” Kaine said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

President Trump announced Thursday that Noem would leave her role following a string of controversies that boiled over last week. The president announced that he had selected GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement. 

Kaine was one of seven Democrats who voted in favor of Noem’s confirmation to the role at the helm of DHS last year. On Sunday, Kaine, a former governor, pointed to Noem’s time leading South Dakota as his justification for supporting her confirmation, saying “governors are often good Cabinet secretaries.”

“But what we learned, and this bears going forward, is that she wasn’t calling the shots,” Kaine said. “Stephen Miller is calling the shots, and as long as he is calling the shots without reforms, this is going to continue to be a very, very rogue, renegade department.”

Kaine said Democrats fear that Mullin could face the same fate when he takes over as DHS secretary, warning of the possibility that he could bow to the top Trump aide. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina also warned about Miller’s “outsized influence” on Sunday, saying on CNN that Miller should be ousted as well, though Tillis said he believes Mullin will act more independently than Noem.

Kaine also acknowledged that Mullin “could demonstrate otherwise.” 

“What we want to see is not just the change in the name plate on the door, we want to see reforms to the way ICE and CBP operates,” Kaine said. “They should operate like local law enforcement does — not invading peoples’ homes without warrants, body cameras, not wearing masks.”

Like Noem, Mullin will face a confirmation process in the Senate. Already he’s received support from at least one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. 

The switchup at DHS comes amid a stalemate over funding for the department. Democrats have demanded reforms to immigration enforcement agencies and have pledged to continue opposing all funding for the department until an agreement can be reached. Meanwhile, the department — which also oversees TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard — has been shut down since Feb. 14, after funding lapsed. 

Kaine stressed that Democrats want to fund the other agencies at DHS, while confining the ongoing negotiations to the immigration enforcement agencies. He noted that DHS’ immigration enforcement received an influx of funds in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.

“They’re not running out of money,” Kaine said. “We can continue the reform discussion there.”