Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry (R) told Breitbart News exclusively that Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate should stop playing games and appoint South Dakota's Kristi Noem as the next Secretary of Homeland Security as soon as humanely possible. He said it would need to be approved. We may be on the verge of a crisis, quite literally.
Landry is in Washington, D.C., ahead of former President Donald Trump's second inauguration on Monday. He told Breitbart News that following the deadly New Year's Day ISIS terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, there was an immediate need to identify principal-level partners to work with ahead of the Super Bowl in New Orleans. He said there is. The Super Bowl is just a few weeks away. Noem's hearing was originally scheduled for this Tuesday, but was postponed to Friday as the Senate awaits additional documents to consider her nomination. Landry is unhappy with the process and believes Republicans should call a vote to pass her.
“The American people are tired of the dysfunction in Washington, D.C.,” Landry said. “Exhibit A would be confirmation of these. If you look at history, you'll see that the vast majority of Cabinet members, both Democrats and Republicans, were inaugurated by the next day, from Clinton to Bush to Obama. But President Trump We're not in power yet, but we're completely dysfunctional. There was a terrorist attack on New Year's Day. It's coming. Immigration is a top priority for Americans, that's undisputed, and yet the Cabinet Secretary who is handling all of it is Kristi Noem, and they approve it. Are you going to drag it out? That's ridiculous. And frankly, it's Republicans and Democrats. [the Republicans] It would be foolish not to disrupt the Democratic Party. Please hold your vote. Are they waiting for the FBI to do a background check? Kristi Noem has been governor for eight years and she has been a congresswoman for six years. I mean, what do we not know about her? Come on, man. ”
When asked what he thought was the cause of the delay, Landry said it was “Deep State Exhibit A.” He believes Senate Republicans need to take control now and quickly push these nominees through Congress within a day or two of Inauguration Day.
“If Republican senators don’t clarify the positions of men and women, and there are women and men in that department, then they will [Democrats] They’re going to do what they always do and roll us over,” Landry said. “That's ridiculous.”
While the Landry state is still reeling from the New Year's Day ISIS terrorist attack, the “real world” impact of senators' delay in confirming Noem could make the Super Bowl in New Orleans less secure. This means that there is a possibility that
“I can say to you, the real world, whether you want to talk about immigration or not, let's talk about the safety of the American people,” Landry said. “The Super Bowl is a Tier 1 event, which means it is the highest security protocol in the hierarchy. This means that all federal resources, coordination, and funding flow through the Department of Homeland Security. I mean, I'm at a loss now, to be honest. I'd love to have Kristi Noem briefed on what's going on at the Super Bowl. But it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. So who are we going to brief her on? It's like explaining to someone who might say, “Maybe not.” Or maybe this person doesn't have a regular job and isn't as involved. That's why I can't get the principal. ”
Landry also said that his life could even be at risk if he doesn't get clear confirmation on Inauguration Day.
“I agree [put people’s lives at risk]” Landry said. “If we were saying something like this and people were like, 'Oh, it's just political rhetoric,' I think I can understand that. But 14 people died on Bourbon Street. (hit) and countless people were hospitalized. Many are still infected and in intensive care. That was 15 days ago. Let's talk about the biggest natural disasters: FEMA. All of that money flows through Homeland Security. Do you think Californians don't care about having a Secretary of Homeland Security?”
Mr. Landry dismisses those who argue that career bureaucrats will take care of things for now.
“Guess what? The carrier team there was like, 'Oh, don't worry, it's run by federal bureaucrats,'” Landry said. “Well, guess what? In eight years, over 210 million people have voted that the bureaucracy is broken.”
Landry is using his time in Washington, D.C., ahead of Inauguration Day to actively pursue Noem's confirmation and the approval of other Trump Cabinet nominees.
“Everybody I can talk to. I just talked to the Speaker of the House about it,” Landry said. “This is the Senate, so he can't do much. I talk to senators, I do interviews. I talk to anyone who will listen. It's really ridiculous. This is what happened on 9/11. I can imagine something like the Boston bombings, which had happened just before Biden or Obama had just taken office and the Republicans were slowing down the Secretary of Homeland Security. Imagine if this guy loaded his truck with ISIS rags and rolled down Bourbon Street and they weren't talking about it anymore. If it came down to the wire, we'd still be talking about it. This shows how dysfunctional Washington as a whole really is.”
Landry added that the broader message the Senate and Washington, D.C., should take from the November election is that Trump's victory this time is “bigger” than his 2016 victory.
“Obviously they're shocked,” Landry said. “Immigration is the No. 1 concern for Americans right now. The economy is eroding the middle class. What better indicator than Biden leaving office?”
But he said Republicans could squander a historic opportunity here if they don't act well and quickly.
“Bingo. That's why I'm doing this interview,” Landry said when asked if Republicans could beat it. “That's my frustration. The American people will demand that the Republican Party govern.”
Landry had a final message for Republican and Democratic senators. He told Republicans to do the right thing for the right reasons and the rest will fall into place. But he said Democrats should stop being too hard-core partisan radical and instead start working with Republicans on the common-sense reforms that President Trump supports.
“I would encourage Republican senators to not worry and do the right thing,” Landry said. “Democrats, you better look at the election results and start thinking about why things turned out the way they did. And maybe do what you've been telling us for the last 30 years, You better join us on our side of the aisle” in a bipartisan relationship. ”
