'Big mistake': Kaine regrets backing Noem, warns DHS needs more than a new 'nameplate on the door'

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Tim Kaine said on Sunday, March 8, that he regretted voting to confirm Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security last year, describing his decision as a “big mistake.” 

Kaine made the remarks during an appearance on CBS News' 'Face the Nation', days after President Donald Trump announced that Noem would step down from the role.

Trump said he planned to nominate Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to replace Noem, a move that will require Senate confirmation.

Kaine said the leadership change alone would not address broader concerns about how the department operates.

Tim Kaine claims Stephen Miller ran DHS, not Kristi Noem

Kaine was among seven Democratic senators who voted to confirm Noem when she was nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

He acknowledged that he now views that decision differently following developments during her tenure. Asked about his earlier support for the former South Dakota governor, Kaine responded bluntly: “Big mistake.”

The senator explained that his vote was initially influenced by Noem’s experience as a governor, which he said often prepared officials for Cabinet roles. "She was a governor. Governors are often good Cabinet secretaries,” Kaine said.

However, he said that his view changed as the department operated under her leadership.

According to Kaine, he believed the decision-making authority within the agency was influenced by White House officials rather than the department’s secretary.

“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,” he added.

The administration nominated Mullin to take over the role, and Kaine said Democrats were watching closely to see how the potential new secretary approached the position.

While expressing concern about the possibility that the department could continue operating in the same way, he said Mullin could show independence once confirmed.

“That’s our fear. So he could demonstrate otherwise,” Kaine said. “But what we want to see is not just the change in the nameplate on the door." 

Tim Kaine calls for ICE and CBP reforms amid DHS funding dispute

Kaine said Democrats want to see reforms to the way immigration enforcement agencies within DHS operate, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

According to the senator, lawmakers were seeking policy changes that would bring federal enforcement practices closer to those used by local law enforcement agencies. 

“We want to see reforms to the way ICE and CBP operates,” Kaine said. “They should operate like local law enforcement does, not invading people's homes without warrants, body cameras, and not wearing masks.”

Kaine said Democrats had proposed funding those agencies while continuing negotiations over immigration enforcement policy.

“I completely agree. Let’s fund all these agencies that don't have funds right now, and let's confine the ICE and CBP discussion to what are the reforms necessary,” Kaine said. 

He said Democrats have raised that proposal in Congress, but that Republicans had rejected it so far. "We’ve offered this on the floor, and the Republicans have thus far rejected. They've said, you've got to fund everything or nothing."