U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, testifies during his Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on March 18, 2026, at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
Evan Vucci | Reuters
The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday night on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin to head the Department of Homeland Security.
The Oklahoma Republican was chosen by President Donald Trump earlier this month to replace Kristi Noem, whose leadership at the department and its use of taxpayer dollars drew scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans alike.
“My goal in six months is that we’re not going to be at the front of the news every day. My goal is for people to understand that we’re out there, that we’re protecting them and working with them,” Mullin said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last week.
Mullin cleared a procedural hurdle on Sunday with the support of two Democratic senators, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and is expected to be approved by senators.
If confirmed, Mullin would take over DHS, which has been shut down as Democrats continue to withhold support for funding packages over concerns about immigration enforcement policies. Meanwhile, President Trump is trying to stall an unrelated voter ID bill, telling Republicans to hold off on DHS funding deals with Democrats until the SAVE America Act is passed.
Funding for the agency expired in February, a month after federal immigration agents in Minneapolis killed two Americans during a raid.
Mullin is generally well-regarded by Senate colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and during his confirmation hearing he suggested he was open to changing the direction of the agency.
He told the committee he would require immigration officers to obtain a judicial warrant to enter private property and said he wants ICE to become “more than just a frontline vehicle” for immigration enforcement.
“This may come as a surprise to some, but I consider Markwayne Mullin a friend. We have a very cordial and constructive working relationship,” Heinrich said in a statement Sunday after supporting Mullin in a procedural vote.
“We’ve also seen firsthand that Mr. Mark Wayne is not someone who can simply be bullied into changing his views. We look forward to having a secretary who doesn’t follow Stephen Miller’s orders,” Heinrich continued, referring to the White House chief of staff and Homeland Security adviser who Democrats say dominated decisions during Noem’s tenure.
Despite their bipartisan friendship, many Democrats on the Senate committee pressed Mr. Marin about his close relationship with Mr. Trump, his hard-line stance on immigration and his “classified” international travel while in the House.
Mullin got into a spat with the committee’s chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, whom presidential candidate Trump recently called a “freak snake.” Before winning the DHS nomination, Mullin also reportedly said he “understands” why Paul’s neighbor assaulted the Kentucky Republican in 2017.
Mr. Marin did not apologize when he confronted Mr. Paul in the hearing room.
“I question whether someone who celebrates violence against political opponents is the right person to lead a government agency that has struggled to accept limits on the appropriate use of force,” Paul said.
