Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) arrives at the Capitol on Thursday, March 5, 2026, after President Donald Trump selected him to succeed Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call Inc. | Getty Images
The Senate will begin considering the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to head the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump nominated Marin, an ally of the president’s in Congress, to lead the agency earlier this month after firing Kristi Noem, who had been embroiled in controversy.
Mullin is a hard-line supporter of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, but is generally well-received by senators. He is likely to face tough questions from Democrats on the committee, who have been harshly critical of President Trump’s mass deportation policies and the lenient deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal immigration agencies.
Mullin has a strained relationship with the committee’s chairman, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Earlier this year, Mullin called Paul, a former independent who often doesn’t vote in the Republican caucus, a “freak snake.” Paul has repeatedly declined to comment on Marin leading up to his confirmation hearing.
