Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wants the Senate to hurry the confirmation of Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security because of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, which will require high security. Here she dances with President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wants the Senate to hurry the confirmation of Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security because of the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, which will require high security. Here she dances with President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds, Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON – Gov. Jeff Landry says the delay in confirming Kristi Noem as head of Homeland Security throws a wrinkle into security precautions for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.
Both events have been given the highest level of security: a Level One Special Event Assessment Rating, or SEAR-1, which means numerous federal resources like bomb-sniffing dogs, cybersecurity checks, air patrols, and tactical response teams will be involved.
Federal agencies are already in the city setting up a security blanket, so everyone will be safe at both events, Landry said. But not having the person in charge in place makes coordination and funding more difficult.
“The game is on the line and we don’t know who the starting quarterback is going to be,” Landry said. “I’m being selfish here for the state of Louisiana. Right now, she’s the most important person to me.”
Landry spoke Wednesday after Noem’s hearing, the first step in the confirmation process, was postponed because not all the necessary paperwork had been finished. Her hearing is now set for Friday morning, said U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs.
Still, assuming Noem clears the GOP-majority panel as expected, a vote on confirmation is still at least a week away.
Homeland Security includes the agencies that police the border, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Secret Service, and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.
The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 9 in the New Orleans Caesars Superdome and festivities will begin a few days before. Fan events are taking place at the Ernest Morial Convention Center, about a mile in one direction from the Dome, in the French Quarter, about a mile in the other direction, in the Warehouse District and elsewhere around the city.
The terrorist attacks on Bourbon Street that killed 15 and wounded 35 others — plus a bombing in Las Vegas in the hours after New Year’s — intensified the need for security at large scale events, Landry said. Getting all the personnel from a wide array of law enforcement agencies on the same page isn’t easy.
“All those funds, all the coordination, flow through the Department of Homeland Security.” Landry said. “I would like to be able to brief the secretary, that would be Secretary Noem, next week after the inauguration. Every day we wait is a day I can’t brief her about the event so we can have a discussion to ensure continuing continuity in securing the city for that event.”
In addition to Homeland Security’s Border Patrol, local and State Police personnel will be augmented by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the FBI.
According to ESPN on Thursday, special agents will be stationed on rooftops, the U.S. Coast Guard will patrol the Mississippi River, surveillance drones will fly in the sky, and SWAT teams will be on standby. The Dome will have fencing that goes three times as far as a regular Saints game.
“And then we have to do it again for Mardi Gras,” Landry said.
After the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras was classified as a Level 1 event requiring similar security.
Mardi Gras this year is March 4. But, of course, festivities will become more frequent all over the New Orleans area in the two to three weeks before. Though New Orleans attracts the most visitors, nearly every town and city in south Louisiana has several parades for Mardi Gras.
“That’s something else I want to be able to discuss with, hopefully, Secretary Noem,” Landry said.
Security issues, no doubt, will be raised Friday during Noem’s confirmation hearing. Democrats are expected to bring up her lack of experience on security issues. But Republicans see her confirmation as a lot easier than other nominees of President-elect Donald Trump.
She came to Trump’s attention when as governor she refused to follow masking and vaccination demands to slow the spread of COVID 19. She sent the South Dakota National Guard to help the Republican governor of Texas in his efforts to seal the border with Mexico.
Noem accompanied Trump on many campaign stops and was on the short list of possible vice presidential running mates.
A rancher, Noem was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2006, then won election to Congress in 2010. She was elected governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022.
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.
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