NEW: GOP Senator Torched For Blocking Trump Nominee Over Personal Dispute With Kristi Noem

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is threatening to grind President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security picks to a halt until DHS Secretary Kristi Noem shows up on Capitol Hill, rattling leaders eager to fill key posts.

Tillis told reporters Tuesday that he’s placing holds on future DHS nominees because Noem has not yet committed to testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a move he called “unacceptable.”

“My chairman has made two requests in this Congress to have the Homeland Security Secretary [Kristi Noem] come before the committee, and they have yet to confirm that they’re coming,” Tillis said. “That is unacceptable, and so I am putting a hold on anything related to Homeland Security measures until we get an agreement and a scheduled time to come for committee at the least.”

The Republican’s blockade will stall Trump’s nominees for the sprawling security agency unless Noem agrees to appear. Tillis made clear his move is not tied to the recent deadly shooting involving an ICE agent in Minneapolis but aimed strictly at forcing Noem to answer senators’ questions.

Tillis indicated he’d consider limited exceptions for disaster response-related measures, but otherwise plans to hold firm.

The action follows two invites from Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley requesting Noem’s testimony, one in June and another in September, both unanswered.

Noem speaks at The People’s Convention at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan
Photo: Gage Skidmore

The hold comes as Senate Republicans have been touting their brisk pace in confirming Donald Trump’s picks across the government. Still, Tillis has a history of bucking his own party and the administration. Last year he opposed Trump’s signature “big, beautiful bill” over Medicaid cuts and later announced he would not seek re-election in 2026.

Tillis hasn’t shied from publicly blasting the administration on other policies, including criticizing talk of using military force to assert U.S. control over Greenland. “I’m sick of stupid,” Tillis said on the Senate floor earlier this week, calling for better advice for the president.

Despite that skepticism, Tillis voted against a resolution this week meant to limit Trump’s use of military force in Venezuela, a measure that advanced with support from five Senate Republicans.

The standoff over Noem’s testimony adds a new wrinkle to Senate confirmation battles, with Tillis casting himself as both a thorn in the administration’s side and a strategist willing to wield his leverage to extract commitments from the DHS secretary.

Download the FREE Trending Politics App to get the latest news FIRST >>