Oklahoma GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin will take questions from fellow senators on Wednesday as he seeks to become the second secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under this Trump administration.
President Trump selected Mullin for the post earlier this month after announcing he would remove DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from running the agency and instead appoint her as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a regional coalition of Latin American countries.
The swap in leadership follows a tumultuous few months at DHS. An immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota resulted in protests and the deaths of two U.S. citizens. Noem faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of those deaths and for broader oversight of immigration enforcement, as well as spending at the department and management of disaster relief. She became the first Cabinet secretary to leave the administration in Trump’s second term.
The agency is currently shut down as Democrats push for changes to how immigration officers operate. Over 100,000 employees are furloughed or working without pay, including those who have nothing to do with immigration, such as workers in the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mullin is expected to face questions from the Senate Homeland Security Committee about his response to the recent turmoil, his approach to mass deportations, and plans for internal oversight at DHS. “How the Homeland Security Secretary responds to a crisis sends signals to everyone from the department’s own personnel, to the American people, and to the entire world,” the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, says in prepared remarks. Peters added he has reservations about Mullin’s “readiness to take on such a significant role at such a critical time.”
Trump’s announcement of Mullin’s nomination echoed Noem’s approach. “Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” the president wrote.
Mullin has spent over a decade on Capitol Hill, first elected to the House in 2012 and to the Senate in 2022. His nomination has drawn support from a range of figures, including Sean O’Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who praised Mullin as willing to “stand their butt up to protect America.” Republican Sen. Thom Tillis called Mullin “a great choice to lead DHS, restore competence, and refocus efforts on quickly distributing disaster aid, keeping the border secure, and targeting violent illegal immigrants for deportation.”
Democrats were generally critical. Sen. Dick Durbin questioned whether Mullin would be any better than Noem, saying the Senate will “find out as the Senate exercises its authority under the Constitution to provide advice and consent on this appointment.”
Mullin is also likely to face questions about his financial disclosures, which include purchases and sales of individual stocks such as UnitedHealth Group, AutoZone, and Intuit. Mullin is a frequent stock trader, and some lawmakers have sought bans on stock trading by members of Congress to increase accountability.
Although Mullin does not sit on the Homeland Security or Judiciary committees, he has defended the administration’s immigration actions over the past year. After an ICE officer shot U.S. citizen Renee Macklin Good, Mullin called immigration officers “red-blooded American patriots doing a tough job to keep our nation safe” and suggested Good used her car as a weapon. He has echoed DHS claims of large increases in death threats against ICE agents—figures the department hasn’t corroborated with specific data sets—and supported ending Temporary Protected Status for people from countries including Somalia.
The hearing is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET. A final Senate vote to approve his confirmation could take place as soon as next week.
