Noem’s national profile grew during the Covid-19 pandemic, when she rejected mask mandates and social distancing, and she was at one time considered a top contender to be a potential running mate for Trump in his bid to win back the White House. But Noem found herself caught up in controversy last year following publication of an excerpt of a book in which she revealed she’d shot and killed a family dog, a 14-month-old wirehair pointer named Cricket, in a gravel pit because the dog was “untrainable” and “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with.”

Kristi Noem was confirmed Saturday morning as the new U.S. secretary of Homeland Security by a 59-34 vote. The 53-year-old former governor of South Dakota becomes the eighth person to lead the agency, following her confirmation. Lieutenant Gov. Larry Rhoden succeeded Noem as governor.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) quickly congratulated Noem for securing the new position. “Congratulations to fellow South Dakotan [Kristi Noem] on being confirmed as secretary of Homeland Security,” he wrote on X. “I know she’s ready to get to work for President Trump and the American people.”