South Dakota Governor Noem Faces House Committee Questions on Border Issues and Travel Expenses

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced intense questioning from Democratic lawmakers during a heated House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday, marking the second consecutive day of congressional scrutiny over her department’s immigration policies and leadership.

The contentious session frequently veered into personal territory as lawmakers pressed Noem on departmental operations while the agency remains caught in funding limbo amid congressional deadlock.

Several Democratic representatives focused their questioning on Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager now serving as a special adviser to DHS. Rep. Sydney Kalmager-Dove (D-Calif.) directly confronted Noem about the nature of their relationship, citing a Wall Street Journal report suggesting former President Trump rejected Lewandowski as Noem’s chief of staff due to rumors of a romantic relationship between them.

“This person has no experience running anything close to the Department of Homeland Security, or even advising someone in your position,” Kalmager-Dove said, noting Lewandowski’s role as a special government employee has extended “well beyond the allowed 130-day” period.

When explicitly asked if she had sexual relations with Lewandowski, Noem turned to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan before responding: “Mr. Chairman, I am shocked that we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today.” Both Noem and Lewandowski have previously denied reports of an affair.

Noem defended Lewandowski’s position, explaining: “He is a special government employee who works for the White House. There are thousands of them in the federal government.”

The questioning grew even more tense when Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, pressed Noem about what he called “an airborne episode of entitlement, arrogance and contempt” involving Lewandowski allegedly attempting to fire a pilot mid-flight when Noem’s blanket was left on another government jet.

“Secretary Noem, you’re flying high now, maybe even a little bit too close to the sun,” Raskin said. The exchanges were particularly charged given the presence of Noem’s husband in the gallery throughout the hearing.

The sharpest exchange occurred when Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) confronted Noem about the case of Miguel Lopez, a migrant who had been living illegally in the U.S. for approximately 30 years before being deported. Swalwell noted that Lopez is married to a U.S. resident and has struggled to adapt to life in Mexico after being away for decades.

When Swalwell asked Noem to acknowledge “the pain” caused by the administration’s deportation policies, she responded bluntly: “The pain? And I wish people would do things correctly. If they’re not in legal status in this country, they can return home. We will pay for them to return home.” She added that she hoped Lopez received the $2,600 offered to those who self-deport.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) pressed Noem on the Trump administration’s repeated pledge to target “the worst of the worst” offenders in its removal efforts. Noem responded sharply: “The worst of the worst served. I think you’ve offended the families behind me today with that.”

Cohen clarified he did not intend to offend anyone but maintained that undocumented immigrants are statistically “less likely” than U.S.-born citizens to commit crimes. Noem gestured to family members seated behind her, highlighting stories of children lost to fentanyl overdoses and fatal car crashes involving undocumented drivers.

“The vast majority of these people behind me lost their children due to drugs, overdoses from drugs that came over the southern border,” Noem said. “They died from their kids being hit, accidents on the roads that illegal drivers were driving.”

Cohen acknowledged these tragedies but argued they didn’t address his broader point about the administration’s deportation priorities: “All that’s true and given it’s true,” he said. “But you say you’re only going after the worst of the worst, and you’re not.”

The hearing underscored the deep political divisions over immigration policy as the Department of Homeland Security continues to implement the Trump administration’s enforcement priorities while awaiting full congressional funding for the sprawling federal agency.