Senate confirms Kirstjen Nielsen as homeland security secretary

Kirstjen Nielsen confirmed as homeland security secretary

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

last updated 6 December 2017

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Kirstjen Nielsen to lead the Homeland Security Department, 62 to 37, making her the first former agency employee to lead the department. Elaine Duke, who has been acting homeland security secretary since John Kelly stepped down to be White House chief of staff in July, will stay on as Nielsen's deputy. Nielsen was Kelly's chief of staff at Homeland Security and White House deputy. She will take the reins of the third-largest department in the federal government, charged with border patrol, immigration enforcement, aviation security, domestic counterterrorism, and disaster response. Nielsen has worked at the Transportation Security Administration and tackled cybersecurity after leaving the government in 2007.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.