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
A day after grueling confirmation hearings, a Senate committee is scheduled to vote Thursday morning on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to head the Department of Homeland Security.
Mullin on Wednesday cleared the first procedural hurdle to lead the department, despite facing scrutiny from senators over his temperament, the Department of Homeland Security’s immigration policies and overseas travel he repeatedly said was “classified” while a member of the House.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), chairman of the Senate Review Committee, slammed the nominee. Marinlin recently said he now understands why Paul’s neighbor physically attacked him in 2017, calling Paul, a libertarian-leaning Republican who often doesn’t vote for his own party, a “freak snake.” Paul called Marinlyn “unrepentant.”
“It makes me 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.
Mr. Paul told reporters after the hearing that he would not support the nomination but was committed to Thursday’s vote, even after questions swirled over Mr. Marin’s vague account of his sensitive overseas travel. After Wednesday’s hearing, some commissioners moved to a classified intelligence facility to get more information from Mullin in an environment where he could discuss classified information.
Republicans hold an 8-7 majority on the committee. Without Paul’s vote, at least one Democratic senator would need to support Mullin’s nomination to remove him from the committee. Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who serves on the committee, said he would vote for Mullin.
