Kristi Noem’s Envoy Status Expires as She Continues Shield of the Americas Work
Kristi Noem is no longer serving as the Trump administration’s special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. The State Department said Thursday that her envoy status had expired.
Noem is not leaving the administration’s work on the initiative altogether. She will now serve as a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary Landau while continuing to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.
“Kristi Noem’s envoy status expired last month and she is no longer in the role,” a State Department official told CBS News Thursday. “She is now a senior advisor to Deputy Secretary Landau and continues to work on the Shield of the Americas portfolio.”
The change means Noem’s formal envoy assignment has ended, but she remains connected to the same broader effort. CBS News reported that she continues to be involved in the administration’s work to coordinate security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.
The Shield of the Americas is a coalition made up of the United States and several Caribbean and Latin American countries. The Trump administration established it earlier this year to cooperate on economic matters, anti-cartel enforcement, and other issues.
Noem’s envoy designation expired just before the United Nations General Assembly last month in New York. Even after the designation ended, she continued participating in diplomatic meetings connected to the initiative. Her involvement in those meetings did not mean she still held the special envoy title.
The change also follows Noem’s removal as Homeland Security Secretary. President Trump fired her as DHS chief in March and announced then-Senator Markwayne Mullin as her replacement.
At the time of her firing, NBC reported that Trump was unhappy with Noem over her decision to approve a $200 million limited-bid advertising campaign. Separately, NBC News reported Thursday morning that Trump was not happy with Noem’s performance during congressional hearings.
Those earlier developments provide context, but the State Department’s latest statement is focused on Noem’s role in the Shield initiative. The department said her envoy status expired and that she is now advising Deputy Secretary Landau while continuing to work on that portfolio.
For now, Noem remains involved in the Trump administration’s efforts across the Western Hemisphere. The formal title has changed, but her work on the Shield of the Americas continues.
Read the original report at The Gateway Pundit.