{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=07EF2937-F7B5-4656-9F80-62E0C2D498B6", "Heitkamp Votes to Confirm New Secretary to U.S. Department of Homeland Security", "2017-12-05", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate to confirm Kirstjen Nielsen as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).\r\n\u201cDuring Kirstjen Nielsen\u2019s nomination process, she committed to me that she would prioritize security improvements along our Northern Border \u2013 including quickly implementing the new Northern Border Strategy that came as a result of my bipartisan bill being signed into law,\u201dsaid Heitkamp. \u201cNielsen also brings important expertise on cybersecurity to her new position. Our nation needs to take additional steps to make our systems and networks more secure and resilient, and I hope Nielsen can be a key part of that effort. The United States must have a strong Homeland Security Secretary that will act as an independent voice and not be swayed by political pressure. I pressed Nielsen on this at her confirmation hearing \u2013 and I plan to hold her to those commitments as Secretary, as well as her promises to prioritize the Northern Border and address some of the long-term challenges there, so we can keep North Dakota and our nation safe.\u201d\r\nAs a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, Heitkamp questioned Nielsen during her confirmation hearing in November. Heitkamp underscored the need to recognize the security and personnel challenges along the nation\u2019s 5,500 mile Northern Border and secured a commitment from Nielsen that she would quickly review and implement the new Northern Border security strategy. This new strategy was recommended by DHS\u2019s recently completed Northern Border Threat Assessment \u2013 an analysis that was a result of Heitkamp\u2019s Northern Border Security Review Act that was signed into law last year. As part of Nielsen\u2019s commitment to the Northern Border, Heitkamp encouraged her to visit North Dakota\u2019s border to see firsthand the unique challenges that a border in remote and rural areas face to keep our nation safe. In October, Heitkamp first met with Nielsen to discuss her nomination.\r\nHeitkamp has long been working to make the Northern Border a priority for DHS as it impacts national security, trade, jobs, and quality of life along our border with Canada. More details about the work Heitkamp has done to make sure the Northern Border receives the proper attention include:\r\n \r\nVisiting the Northern Border multiple times. In 2014, Heitkamp brought the then-Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee Tom Carper (D-DE) to North Dakota to raise awareness and bring more attention to the Northern Border. In 2015, Heitkamp brought then-DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to see the Northern Border for himself when they visited the Pembina border crossing. In 2016, Heitkamp visited the Portal Point of Entry where she met with Customs and Border Protection Officers, agents, and management to learn more about the challenges they face in helping secure the border.\r\n \r\n \r\nMaking the Northern Border a priority for a U.S. Senate Committee. Following Mayorkas\u2019 visit, Heitkamp successfully called for a hearing in the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on the Northern Border during which she questioned federal border security officials about the issues she heard about firsthand in Pembina with Mayorkas. In March 2016, Heitkamp urged then-DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson on the need to pay closer attention to the border. Additionally, in November 2016 Heitkamp stressed the importance of additional resources and support for the border during a U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security hearing with chief and deputy chief of U.S. Border Patrol.\r\n \r\n \r\nSecuring long-term Northern Border efforts at Grand Forks Air Force Base. Heitkamp pushed DHS to secure a long-term Air and Marine Operations presence at the Grand Forks Airforce Base and in September 2017 DHS and Customs and Border protection heeded her call to maintain the their presence on the base.\r\n \r\n \r\nReducing drug crime and flow at the border. In August 2014, Heitkamp joined then-White House Drug Czar Michael Botticelli to unveil a new national strategy to fight drug crimes in the Bakken and at the Northern Border that she specifically pushed for.\r\n \r\n \r\nAddressing the personnel staffing along the Northern Border. In October 2017, Heitkamp\u2019s bipartisan bill, the CBP Hiring and Retention Act, passed in committee with the intent of alleviating chronic challenges Customs and Border Protection face in hiring and retaining a qualified workforce. During a U.S. Senate Homeland Security Hearing in March 2017, Heitkamp stressed the importance of improving the recruitment and retention of qualified employees at the ports of entry to key union U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=07EF2937-F7B5-4656-9F80-62E0C2D498B6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2027629893273115, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}