The Senate voted to confirm Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin late Monday as the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He will succeed former South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who had led the agency since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The Senate approved Mullin in a bipartisan 54-45 vote. Every Republican with the exception of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul voted for Mullin. Democrat Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico also crossed the aisle to join Republicans in confirming Mullin.
Mullin is a businessman-turned-politician who built his career in both the private sector and public service. He attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship. Before entering politics, he owned and operated Mullin Plumbing, growing it into one of the largest service companies in Oklahoma. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, where he served five terms representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District.
In 2022, he won election to the U.S. Senate, becoming the first Native American U.S. senator from Oklahoma in over a century (Mullin is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation). Throughout his congressional tenure, Mullin was known for his focus on small business issues, energy policy, and a strong conservative approach to border security and national defense.
Several prominent Republicans celebrated Mullin’s confirmation to his new role. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott stated that Mullin will be a great leader for the agency moving forward.
“Congratulations to my friend and colleague, Senator Markwayne Mullin, on his confirmation to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security!” Scott said in a Facebook post. “We’ll miss him in the Senate, but I have no doubt he’ll lead DHS with the utmost commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our nation.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson also congratulated Mullin.
“Congratulations to my friend Markwayne Mullin on his bipartisan confirmation as Secretary of Homeland Security,” Johnson said in a post on X. “I look forward to continuing our important work with you and President Trump to put America First — keeping our border secure, our communities safe, and our country strong. While Democrats block paychecks for law enforcement and prioritize criminal illegal aliens — Republicans are fighting to support the 260,000 American heroes who serve at DHS and protect the American people.”
Mullin will assume leadership as the agency continues to suffer from an extended shutdown. Back in February, Democrats threatened to shut down the entire federal government by weaponizing the filibuster to block a funding bill unless the Trump administration backed down from its strict enforcement of immigration law. Republicans ultimately passed a funding bill that did not include DHS, leading to the prolonged shutdown that has now stretched to 39 days.
Republicans need at least seven Democrats to join them to reach the necessary 60-vote threshold to fund DHS. But liberals are still demanding controversial ICE changes for passage, such as banning ICE agents and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers from wearing masks and banning so-called “roving patrols.” In total, Democrats have made more than a dozen demands despite being in the minority.
The lack of funding has caused chaos in the nation’s airports. Over the course of this past weekend, Americans have waited three or more hours in major cities just to reach security checkpoints as TSA agents go unpaid and, in some cases, do not show up or simply quit. On March 17, the DHS reported that more than 360 TSA officers had left the force. The agency deployed ICE agents to airports on Monday to assist in processing people through security lines quicker as the issue escalates.
Mullin has called on his former colleagues to fund DHS as quickly as possible and embraced the challenge of leading the agency. “My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day,” he said during his confirmation hearing. “My goal is for people to understand we’re out there. We’re protecting them, and we’re working with them. My goal is to make every one of you guys proud.”
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
