WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday approved the nomination of Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin to serve as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, voting 54-45 in favor. Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico joined Republicans in supporting the nomination.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who chairs the committee that oversees DHS, opposed Mullin after a contentious exchange at last week’s confirmation hearing and questioned whether someone with what he described as ‘anger issues’ should lead agencies such as ICE and Border Patrol.
Mullin assumes leadership of DHS amid a prolonged and bitter funding standoff that has left parts of the department effectively shut down for weeks. He replaces Kristi Noem, whom President Trump dismissed roughly six weeks after DHS agents, during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Rene Good and Alex Pretti.
The shootings and subsequent enforcement raids prompted Democrats to withhold support for a funding package for DHS, and Republicans rebuffed Democratic demands for new limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection operations. Those disputes ultimately triggered the shutdown.
Senate Democrats have characterized their resistance as policy-driven rather than personal, pressing for specific reforms as a condition for advancing the funding bill. Among the measures they want are requirements that agents display identification, bans on masks during operations, and court warrants for raids on private property. Mullin’s confirmation is not expected to break the impasse over DHS funding in the near term.
The shutdown has had immediate operational effects: thousands of Transportation Security Administration and other DHS employees have been working without pay, absenteeism has risen, airport security lines have lengthened, and more than 400 TSA officers have resigned since the funding lapse began.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas defended Mullin as a bold choice willing to take on a difficult portfolio. But Senate Democrats raised concerns about Mullin’s transparency and temperament during the confirmation process. Senators noted he has described an understanding of the ‘smell’ and ‘taste’ of war despite not having served in the military, and he declined to provide specifics about a classified foreign trip he said he took in 2015, leaving unanswered questions after a closed briefing.
‘Throughout the nomination process, he has failed to be forthright and transparent,’ said Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, asserting that Mullin lacks the experience and temperament required to run DHS.
Other Democrats framed their objections as critiques of the administration’s broader policies rather than personal attacks. ‘A lot of this is just so deep to the core of the administration in terms of the problems,’ said Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, blaming senior advisers such as Stephen Miller and President Trump for the department’s issues.
Mullin, 48, is a former professional mixed martial arts fighter who made his fortune through his family’s plumbing business. He was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012 and won a 2022 special election to the Senate to fill the seat of Jim Inhofe. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and has been a consistent ally of President Trump.
Heinrich, whose vote to support Mullin was not widely anticipated, called Mullin a friend and a principled voice, noting he has seen that Mullin ‘is not someone who can simply be bullied into changing his views.’ Heinrich expressed hope that the new secretary will not take policy direction from figures such as Stephen Miller.
Officials on both sides of the aisle acknowledge Mullin will inherit a department facing operational strain, political scrutiny and an unresolved budget battle. How his leadership will affect the shutdown, agency morale and ongoing oversight of immigration enforcement remains uncertain.