Challenges in the Life of Kristi Noem in a Detailed Timeline

Resilience and perseverance in the journey of Kristi Noem. A timeline of obstacles and growth.

Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem is an American politician. She was the 33rd governor of South Dakota, serving from 2019 to 2025. Prior to her governorship, she represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. She is currently the 8th United States secretary of homeland security.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1992: Family's business burned down

After leaving the Army, Park suffered from PTSD, and his family's business burned to the ground during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

March 1994: Father's death and taking over family farm

In March 1994, Kristi Noem's father died in a grain bin accident, which led to her leaving college early to run the family farm.

2009: Fireworks displays halted at Mount Rushmore

In 2009, fireworks displays were halted at Mount Rushmore by the National Park Service due to fire risks and other reasons.

2009: Arrested for attempting to buy cocaine

Park moved to Hawaii and in 2009 was arrested for attempting to buy cocaine.

2015: Resemblance to Indiana bill signed by Mike Pence

In 2021, Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law. This bill resembles the 2015 bill signed into law by Indiana Governor Mike Pence.

February 2019: Trade wars devastated South Dakota's economy

In February 2019, Noem said that the Trump administration's trade wars with China and the European Union had devastated South Dakota's economy, particularly the agricultural sector, "by far" the state's largest industry.

November 18, 2019: "Meth. We're on It" awareness campaign

On November 18, 2019, Noem released a meth awareness campaign named "Meth. We're on It". The campaign was widely mocked and Noem was criticized for spending $449,000 of public funds while hiring an out-of-state advertising agency from Minnesota to lead the project. She defended the campaign as successful in raising awareness.

2019: Anti-protest legislation signed into law

In 2019, Kristi Noem's office collaborated with TransCanada Corporation to develop anti-protest legislation, which she then signed into law. This law established a fund to cover policing costs for pipeline protests and imposed civil penalties for encouraging participation in rioting. As a result, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation banned Noem from their grounds.

2019: Opposition to industrial hemp cultivation

In 2019, Noem opposed the cultivation of industrial hemp, vetoing a bill that passed the South Dakota House and Senate to legalize hemp cultivation. She said, "There is no question in my mind that normalizing hemp, like legalizing medical marijuana, is part of a larger strategy to undermine enforcement of the drug laws and make legalized marijuana inevitable."

March 13, 2020: K-12 schools ordered to close

On March 13, 2020, Kristi Noem ordered K-12 schools in South Dakota to close in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 3, 2020: Mount Rushmore event with Trump amid COVID concerns

On July 3, 2020, Kristi Noem did not mandate social distancing or mask-wearing at the Mount Rushmore event with Donald Trump present, despite warnings from health experts about the risks of large, unmasked gatherings.

November 2020: Tourism promotion during COVID-19 surge

In November 2020, Kristi Noem used pandemic relief funds to promote tourism in South Dakota during a surge in COVID-19 cases.

2020: Opposition to cannabis legalization

In 2020, Noem opposed two ballot measures to legalize cannabis for medical use and recreational use in South Dakota, saying, "The fact is, I've never met someone who got smarter from smoking pot. It's not good for our kids. And it's not going to improve our communities." After both measures passed, she and two police officers filed a lawsuit seeking a court decision against the measure legalizing recreational use, Amendment A.

2020: Legislation amended after court ruling

In 2020, after a federal court deemed parts of the anti-protest legislation unconstitutional, Kristi Noem introduced new legislation to repeal those sections and clarify the definition of "incitement to riot."

February 8, 2021: Amendment struck down as unconstitutional

On February 8, 2021, circuit court judge Christina Klinger struck down the amendment as unconstitutional.

March 8, 2021: Noem to sign Women's Fairness in Sports Bill

On March 8, 2021, Kristi Noem announced on Twitter that she would sign into law H.B. 1217, the Women's Fairness in Sports Bill, which bans transgender athletes from playing on or against women's school and college sports teams. Some critics of the bill said they were worried it might turn away business and cost the state money.

July 1, 2021: Medical marijuana becomes legal

On July 1, 2021, medical marijuana became legal after Noem's efforts to delay the implementation failed.

December 2021: Support for "An Act to Protect Fairness in women's sports"

In December 2021, Noem and her office signaled their support for a bill called "An Act to Protect Fairness in women's sports." The bill would require young athletes to join teams that align with their sex assigned at birth.

2021: Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law

In 2021, Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law. The legislation amended the state RFRA to allow business owners to cite religious beliefs as a basis to deny products or services to people based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation, S.B. 124, was criticized by civil rights groups who said it would enable discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, women, and members of minority faiths.

January 21, 2022: "Prayer bill" defeated in House Education Committee

On January 21, 2022, the "prayer bill", HB 1015, which Noem sought to put back in school, was defeated in the House Education Committee by a vote of 9–6. An aide to Noem admitted to the committee that no schools were consulted about the proposal.

February 24, 2022: House Resolution introduced against Noem

On February 24, 2022, Republican State Representative John Mills introduced House Resolution 7004 against Kristi Noem, addressing "the Governor's unacceptable actions in matters related to the appraiser certification program".

2022: Legislature rejects gun range proposal

In 2022, Kristi Noem sought to build a gun range in Meade County with government funds, but the legislature rejected the proposal.

2022: RV park proposal in Custer State Park

In 2022, Noem sought to locate a government-paid RV park in Custer State Park. The proposal was met with significant opposition. The House Agricultural and Natural Resources deferred the bill to the 41st day, effectively killing it, by a vote of 9–3.

2022: National Defense Authorization Act restricts private funding of National Guard

The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act banned National Guard members from crossing state borders to perform duties paid for by private donors, impacting future deployments similar to the South Dakota National Guard's deployment to Texas in 2021.

2024: South Dakota tribes ban Noem from tribal lands

In 2024, all nine tribes of South Dakota banned Kristi Noem from entering any tribal lands, prohibiting her from entering almost 20% of South Dakota.

February 2025: Divert USCG C-130 Hercules

This began in February 2025, when Noem told the National Command Center to divert a USCG C-130 Hercules from a search and rescue mission for a coast guardsman who had gone overboard. The USCG commander in San Diego sent two C-27 Spartans to Texas for the deportation mission and kept the C-130 on the search.

April 20, 2025: Purse stolen from D.C. burger restaurant

On the evening of April 20, 2025, Noem's purse was stolen from a D.C. burger restaurant. The purse contained important items, like her government access badge, apartment keys, $2,000–3,000 in cash, her passport, and blank checks. The incident raised various concerns, including about her Secret Service detail presence.

June 2025: Failed to disclose past income

In June 2025, ProPublica reported that Noem failed to disclose past income from a dark money group in her federal ethics filings upon joining DHS, which ethics experts say violates disclosure rules.

June 2025: Self-deport or be deported by DHS officials

Sae Joon Park, was told in June 2025 to self-deport or be deported by DHS officials.

December 12, 2025: DHS deported a veteran

During a December 12, 2025, committee hearing, U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner asked Noem how many U.S. veterans DHS had deported. She replied that they had not deported any. He then showed, via Zoom, Purple Heart recipient and green-card holder Sae Joon Park, who had been deported under her administration.

January 14, 2026: Articles of impeachment introduced against Noem

On January 14, 2026, Representative Robin Kelly introduced three articles of impeachment against Noem. She alleged Noem had obstructed congressional oversight of ICE facilities; violated public trust regarding arrests and the use of force; and engaged in self-dealing by awarding the contract for a $200 million taxpayer-funded recruitment campaign to the husband of Tricia McLaughlin. As of the filing, 70 representatives had signaled their support for the proceedings.

2026: Incorrect definition of habeas corpus

During a May 2026 Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the Department of Homeland Security's budget for fiscal year 2026, Noem incorrectly defined habeas corpus as "a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country" in response to a question from Senator Maggie Hassan. In actuality, habeas corpus is the constitutional right for a detainee to request that a court review the lawfulness of their detention, which would require the government to justify the detention.