Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota came under fire from Fox News host Laura Ingraham after he seemed prepared to block some or all of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet choices.

“Why does President-elect Trump already have a senator from Dakota undermining him?” Ingraham wrote that Rounds is from North Dakota, which is untrue.

“Sen. Mike Rounds (R-ND) stated that he arrived in Halifax with a message that the U.S. government still has three branches and that the Senate will protect its independence,” she continued, inserting a quote from a Politico article.

For the record, Rounds’ North Dakota origin was misstated by Politico.

But because of her strong remarks and actions supporting the president-elect on the porous U.S. borders under the Biden-Harris administration, Trump nominated South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to be his secretary of homeland security.

Noem has taken a strong stand on immigration as governor, referring to the border crisis under the Biden administration as a “invasion.” She has backed better refugee screening as well as the installation of more robust physical barriers at the border.

Following the Biden-Harris administration’s inability to adequately enforce immigration laws, South Dakota became the first state to deploy National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 to support Texas. Noem has sent troops to the border eight times since.

“South Dakota doesn’t complain about things – we fix them,” Noem stated in an October X post.We’ll keep doing what we can. Later this fall, another contingent of South Dakota National Guard soldiers is expected to deploy on a federal activation to the Southern Border. And we’ll keep doing everything in our power to lessen the cartels’ domestic influence.

Noem has also been a vocal supporter of stricter screening of refugees from terrorist-affiliated nations.

“I share the President’s concerns about our ability to screen refugees—especially those from terrorist hotbed areas,” Noem said in support of the first Trump administration’s efforts in 2017.I am in favor of temporarily suspending the admission of refugees from terrorist-held regions—at least until the administration can attest that those seeking asylum do not pose a threat to American security.

Trump acknowledged Noem’s prior positions on matters significant to the DHS secretary when he announced her nomination.

For everyone in the room to see and hear, Trump said, “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries.” “Kristi and I have collaborated on a wide range of projects over the years that we have known one another. She will play a significant role in our efforts to restore American safety.

Noem’s appointment was also enthusiastically supported by former Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, who was considered by some to be the front-runner for the position. Wolf declared, “Gov. Noem is a fantastic pick.”

“She has been a successful governor and has been forward-leaning and helping to support the border security mission with her National Guard,” he added in his evaluation.I have no doubt she will be successful.

“With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so that families will once again have the opportunity to pursue the American dream,” Noem added in response to the nomination.

The Senate is now holding confirmation hearings for Noem. Prior to President-elect Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who will chair the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) and supervise the nomination, promised last week that the confirmation process would proceed quickly.

John Thune (R-S.D.), the recently elected Senate Majority Leader, also congratulated Noem on her nomination and pledged to move the president’s nominees along as soon as possible.