Kristi Noem Says We Need A Republican Party ‘That Actually Follows Through On What They Say They’re Going To Do’

South Dakota’s Republican Governor Kristi Noem went on Fox News on Tuesday night to discuss what many see as divisions within the Republican Party.

Noem Addresses Future Of GOP

Noem said that in order to find success moving forward, the Republican Party must actually follow through on promises, something she says they’ve failed to do at times in the past. One such promise that Noem believes the GOP went back on was the pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

“I think what people want is a Republican Party that actually follows through on what they say they’re going to do, that actually puts forward and enacts the policies that we say we believe in,” Noem said.

“We talked for years about doing health care reform, repealing Obamacare, and we haven’t done it,” she added. We’ve talked about doing immigration reform, making sure that we’re welcoming people legally to this country, and we haven’t done it.”

“So, that’s what I think the last several years should teach Republicans, is that we’re tired of politicians,” Noem continued. “We’re tired of people that stand up and give speeches and never take action.”

“That’s what the last administration did, is they took action, and people realized that they liked that, and they liked the benefits of people who actually were public servants,” she concluded.

Noem Discusses Keystone XL Pipeline

In this same interview, Noem also talked about how devastating the cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline last month has been for workers and communities in her state.

“The pipeline was being built through the state of South Dakota. In fact, they had already built a couple of pumping stations, they had the pipeline laid out ready to be installed, and then when he pulled the permits, everything just stopped,” she explained.

“There are so many families that have told their stories in recent days about the devastation to them and their incomes and businesses,” Noem said. “We had restaurants and motels, gas stations that had expanded, getting ready for the workers that were going to be there [for] the next several years building the pipeline.”

“They were excited about the opportunities to get the property taxes in these local small schools from the pipeline. It was always going to be a source of revenue that would help them keep their roads fixed and commerce going and make sure that their teachers could be well-paid. In a lot of these remote areas … that is a little challenging,” Noem continued.

“Overnight, their whole plan for the future was just gone. And I think for a lot of families in the state of South Dakota, it was devastating,” she concluded.

This piece was written by James Samson on February 17, 2021. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.