Senators weigh in on calls to fire Secretary Noem, reform ICE, and Rep. Omar incident

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(28 Jan 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ++STARTS AND ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++ ++SOUNDBITE SEPERATED BY BLACK FRAMES++ ++PROFANITY++ ASSOCIATED PRESS Washington - 28 January 2026 ++STARTS ON A SOUNDBITE++ 1. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Thom Tillis, (R) North Carolina: Reporter: "What message would send to the country if Kristi Noem continues as Secretary of Homeland Security?" Tillis: "That we're allowing incompetent people in very prominent roles in the cabinet." Reporter: "I mean, because the president doesn't see to be willing to get rid of her, he has confidence in her he says." Tillis: "I don't have any confidence. Look, we're about to map out the something I've tried to work diplomatically on, but she's a complete failure on a disaster response. There's no comparison between his Homeland Security (Department) and President Trump's first term and this one. She's. They're asleep at the switch. They're pushing paper and doing DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) shit, and causing people not to get badly needed resources down there. She clearly doesn't know how to manage. She's never managed a large organization, and she's failing at every possible measure of the job." Reporter: "And it seems like Stephen Miller is not going anywhere either." Tillis: "Well, you know, again, I'll leave it up to the president. Stephen Miller was the one who got out in front on Greenland. It's not working the way he said it was. He got out in front and told the president before he even taken the time to understand the incident that happened in Minneapolis that a terrorist had been killed and was brandishing a weapon. Like this -- These are amateurs in the strictest sense of the word." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Thom Tillis, (R) North Carolina: "A lot of the funding. I mean, people need to understand a lot of that funding was actually plussed up in the so-called big beautiful bill, which I voted against, and so that money's going to be there. The American people shouldn't be confused by reducing funding here. What they're talking about more are making sure that they have body cams, making sure they truly have escalation training. Don't put them on the front line until they do. That's in their best interest too. I want to keep these ICE officers safe. Most of them are doing a great job, and they're put in an untenable circumstance in Minnesota right now." Reporter: "The President called you a loser, I believe." Tillis: "I am thrilled about that. That makes me qualified to be Homeland Security Secretary and Senior Advisor to the president. ++BLACK FRAMES++ 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (D) Connecticut: "Who would be against judicial warrants for an arrest? It's the Fourth Amendment. Who would be against body cameras? Police across the country, at the local level have them all the time. They protect the police. Who can be against identification of law enforcement? It's done routinely. These kinds of common sense measures simply take back control of a rogue agency. And Republicans can't oppose us on the merits. I fear they just try to jam us politically. They could separate out the ICE funding and join us in reform." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. John Cornyn, (R) Texas: Reporter: "Do you have confidence in Noem?" Cornyn: "As long as the president does, I'll support her." ++BLACK FRAMES++ 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Eric Schmitt, (R) Missouri: ++BLACK FRAMES++ 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Sen. Eric Schmitt, (R) Missouri: Reporter: "Do you still have confidence in Secretary Noem?" Schmitt: "I do, yeah, and Stephen Miller by the way." STORYLINE: Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/22e951a8f8de48a0a9b6d0c1a3315b06