Congressional Democrats are seeking criminal charges against Kristi Noem weeks after President Donald Trump ousted her from leadership of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the top Democrats on their respective chambers’ Judiciary Committees, sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday accusing Noem of lying to Congress during back-to-back hearings earlier this month.

«A number of her statements appear to violate criminal statutes prohibiting perjury and knowingly making false statements to Congress,» the letter said. «After months of evading our Committees’ requests to testify in routine oversight hearings, Secretary Noem made a series of demonstrably false statements in a brazen attempt to undermine critical congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security.»

The top Democrats on the Senate and House Judiciary committees charged that there were four categories of statements Noem made during her testimony before the respective panels where the DHS chief could have perjured herself.

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Among those answers the lawmakers scrutinized were whether DHS follows court orders, Corey Lewandowski’s role in DHS contracts, whether immigration enforcement has detained U.S. citizens, and most notably the contracting process for a $220 million ad campaign heavily featuring Noem. 

The ad campaign, in particular, was an explosive moment during Noem’s hearing earlier this month when Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., pressed her on whether there was a competitive bid process for the contracts and the substantial cash flow. 

Noem told the panel that the contract did go through a competitive process, «and career officials at the Department chose who would do those advertising commercials.» When asked if President Donald Trump knew about the ad campaign and its eye-popping sum, Noem said he did.

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Trump contradicted that statement in an interview with Reuters, and Kennedy argued that it was «hard to believe» the president would give it the green light. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin takes a question from a reporter as he introduces tariff legislation at the U.S. Capitol building on May 8, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

«It’s something we have to defend. I’m on the Appropriations Committee. I mean, my research shows that you did not bid them out,» Kennedy said. 

He alleged that the group that received «most of the money» had direct ties to former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin and her husband, Benjamin Yoho, who runs the company.

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«Even if Secretary Noem was the one telling the truth about the President’s knowledge, and she may well have been, she flatly misrepresented that the contract had been subject to a competitive bid,» Durbin and Raskin wrote. 

Yoho denied using his wife to secure lucrative contracts from the government, however, writing in a letter to Senate Democrats on Friday, «This statement is factually incorrect, and I respectfully request that you have your colleague correct the official record and issue an apology.»

Making false statements to Congress is classified as a felony, and a guilty verdict carries up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

But the Trump administration is sticking by Noem. A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «Any claim that Secretary Noem committed perjury is categorically FALSE.»

Still, Democrats suggested that their effort would not end with the Trump administration, writing, «While we have low expectations that you will pursue this matter given your partisan weaponization of the Department of Justice, we note that the statute of limitations for perjury and for knowingly and willfully making false statements to Congress is five years.»

Trump announced earlier this month that Noem would no longer serve as DHS secretary and instead take on a new role as special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a military coalition formed by the Republican president.

It comes after mounting criticism from both sides of the aisle over Noem’s handling of the department and its enforcement of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

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Trump instead nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to take over the department. His confirmation hearing is expected this week.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS for comment on Democrats’ letter.

El secretario de Estado de Estados Unidos, Marco Rubio, mantuvo contactos telefónicos con sus homólogos de Japón y Corea del Sur luego de que el presidente Donald Trump solicitara a ambos países el envío de buques militares al estrecho de Ormuz, en el contexto de la guerra en Oriente Medio y de la creciente tensión en una vía clave para el comercio energético global.

Las conversaciones tuvieron lugar el lunes por la noche con el canciller japonés, Toshimitsu Motegi, y el ministro de Exteriores surcoreano, Cho Hyun. Durante los intercambios, ambas partes subrayaron la relevancia estratégica del estrecho de Ormuz, por donde transita una proporción significativa del suministro mundial de petróleo, en un escenario marcado por la inestabilidad regional.

Según los comunicados oficiales, tanto Tokio como Seúl coincidieron en destacar la necesidad de preservar la seguridad de la navegación en ese paso marítimo. Sin embargo, no explicitaron una postura concreta respecto del pedido formulado por Washington para desplegar activos militares en la zona.

El llamado de Rubio se produjo después de que Trump reiterara su exhortación a Japón y Corea del Sur para que contribuyan a mantener abierto el estrecho de Ormuz. El mandatario estadounidense recordó que Estados Unidos mantiene tropas en ambos países como “protección” y subrayó que estas naciones dependen en gran medida de las importaciones de crudo provenientes de Medio Oriente.

Antes de estas declaraciones, el Gobierno japonés había indicado que no existen planes inmediatos para enviar buques militares. Tokio sostuvo que no se ha presentado una solicitud formal y señaló que cualquier decisión requiere un análisis detallado de su legalidad.

Durante su conversación con Rubio, Motegi remarcó que “la seguridad de la navegación en la región es de vital importancia para la comunidad internacional”, en particular desde el punto de vista de la seguridad energética. Además, ambas partes coincidieron en “mantener una comunicación fluida respecto a su respuesta a la situación en torno a Irán”, de acuerdo con el comunicado de la cancillería japonesa.

El jefe de la diplomacia nipona también expresó una postura crítica hacia Teherán al afirmar que “condenó las acciones de Irán, incluidos sus ataques contra instalaciones civiles y relacionadas con infraestructura energética en los países del Golfo, así como las actividades que amenazan la seguridad de navegación en el estrecho de Ormuz”.

El diálogo entre Rubio y Motegi se desarrolló en la antesala de una visita oficial de la primera ministra japonesa, Sanae Takaichi, a Estados Unidos. Ambos funcionarios acordaron “trabajar estrechamente para garantizar” que ese encuentro represente “una nueva oportunidad para demostrar la inquebrantable fortaleza de la alianza” bilateral.

Por su parte, Corea del Sur adoptó un tono prudente ante el planteo estadounidense. El Ministerio de Exteriores en Seúl informó que el país se encuentra “en estrecho contacto” con las autoridades de Estados Unidos y que tomará “una decisión cuidadosa” respecto de la solicitud de despliegue en el estrecho.

En la conversación con Rubio, Cho Hyun enfatizó el impacto global de la situación en Medio Oriente al señalar que “la paz en Medio Oriente y la navegación segura y libre en el estrecho de Ormuz son cruciales para la seguridad y la economía de todas las naciones”.

El canciller surcoreano también expresó sus condolencias por las bajas estadounidenses en el conflicto y agradeció la “activa cooperación de Estados Unidos para garantizar el regreso seguro de los ciudadanos surcoreanos” que se encontraban en la región al momento del estallido de las hostilidades.

(Con información de EFE)

You’ll hear volumes from congressional Republicans about the importance of passing the SAVE America Act in the coming days. The bill requires proof of citizenship to vote.

«We need to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat in America,» said Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio.

«The SAVE America Act is an important bill,» said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., on Fox News. «So we’ve got to figure out how to get it passed.»

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And that is the conundrum facing Senate Republicans — figuring out how to get it passed.

The SAVE America Act is the touchstone of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. In fact, the president warned he wouldn’t sign any other bill into law — except perhaps a DHS funding measure — until Congress aligns with his demands.

Republicans agree on the importance of the SAVE America Act, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. is promising everything but passage.

«I will be bringing the SAVE America Act to the floor, and we will be having a full and robust debate,» said Thune.

That’s because Republicans can’t break a Democratic filibuster.

«This is one of the worst things we’ve seen in America in a very long time,» said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

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Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives for a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on March 5, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

«The real reason this president wants this bill to pass is to reduce the number of people voting in the November election,» said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. 

It takes 60 votes to break a filibuster. Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate. So some Republicans advocate parliamentary ballistics to obliterate the filibuster.

«I would nuke the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act,» said Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. 

Cold War rhetoric permeates this entire debate. In fact, conservatives implored Thune to launch a pre-emptive first strike to terminate the filibuster before Democrats again win control of the Senate — be it this fall or a decade from now.

«It’s really about the only way I can see preventing them from nuking the filibuster once they gain the majority in the Senate,» said Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

Other Republicans want to force Democrats to filibuster the old-fashioned way — until they’re exhausted. 

«They should have to go hold the floor like it used to be in the old days. They can go and talk as much as they want. But sooner or later they’re going to run out of time,» said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

If everyone finally fades after days or weeks of debate, then the Senate doesn’t need a test vote to break a filibuster — needing 60 yeas. That means they can pass the bill with a simple majority: 51.

Lots of Republican senators are now invoking the 1930s Frank Capra classic «Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.» That’s where Jimmy Stewart plays an idealistic senator who filibusters until he collapses in the Senate chamber.

«They should have to go out there, hours on end, like a Jimmy Stewart moment,» said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.

But most Republicans reject the Jimmy Stewart approach. They’re not so much worried about unlimited debate during a talking filibuster, but the unlimited amendment process.

«The talking filibuster, I think will be a goat rodeo. I mean, it could take two or three weeks. The Democrats will tee up all kinds of problematic votes,» predicted a skeptical Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. «I haven’t had anybody describe to me the project plan. Here are the number of days. This is how we counter people. We’ve got all of our political flanks covered. And this is how we succeed at the end.»

But there won’t be an unlimited amendment process. While Thune will allow the debate to go on for a while (Fox is told perhaps a week or more, perhaps around the clock), he will maintain «ball control.» Thune won’t immediately tee up a test vote to end debate, needing 60 yeas. But Thune will immediately block all amendments from both sides.

Like everything on Capitol Hill, it’s about the math. And while there will be a lot of talking about the SAVE Act and the talking filibuster, there’s not enough support on the GOP side of the aisle to unspool the Senate’s filibuster rules and precedents. 

«Many of us don’t believe that we should undo the filibuster because it holds the rights of the majority. And one day we’ll be back in the minority,» said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. «It’s a real splitter here.»

Capito added that there was a «will» to deal with the SAVE America Act. But the parliamentary machinations it would take to blow up the filibuster to pass the bill do not exist.

«There’s not enough numbers to get it done,» observed Capito.

Trump and other conservatives are starting to dial up pressure on Thune.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., argued that Democrats were continuing their push to keep DHS closed because it was «politically advantageous.» (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

«I think he’s a wonderful person. I do,» the president said of the South Dakota Republican on Fox News Radio. «But it’s not that he doesn’t want to do it. He doesn’t think he can do it. And that’s bad.»

Despite criticism directed at Thune, some Republicans are defending him.

«It’s not John Thune that’s killing it. It’s members of the Republican Party that are not convinced that a talking filibuster can be used to pass this,» said Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. «It will be an infliction of tremendous delays on other matters before the U.S. Senate without the positive results of passage of the SAVE Act.»

It’s significant that the president has not called out Thune over his reluctance to end the filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act. However, Trump routinely demanded that former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., do just that during his first term. The president often lambasted McConnell’s stewardship of the Senate, despite the Kentucky Republican establishing a new precedent to inhibit filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. McConnell’s maneuver on the filibuster assured the confirmations of Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

But so far, no sharp criticism of Thune.

Still, some Republicans believe Senate magic could salvage the SAVE America Act.

«I’ve seen John Thune pull rabbits out of his hat before,» said Lummis. «And I’m hoping there’s a rabbit in his hat on this one.» 

The Senate takes a test vote just to start debate on the bill Tuesday afternoon. That needs a simple majority. It’s possible that Vice President JD Vance may need to break a tie to launch debate on the bill.

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Vice President JD Vance talks on his phone as he walks to the West Wing of the White House, March 6, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/AP Photo)

But the Senate doesn’t have the votes to blow up the precedents like McConnell did with the Supreme Court in order to pass the SAVE America Act, nor are there the votes to execute a full-blown «talking filibuster,» bypassing the need for 60 yeas. 

Consider the firestorm that could rain down on Senate Republicans from their base if the GOP fails to pass the SAVE America Act. Trump has held his tongue so far, but it’s possible there could be recriminations from him, too.