Markwayne Mullin confirmed to lead Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON – With the help of two Democrats, the Senate has confirmed Markwayne Mullin to replace Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security.

The pugilistic Oklahoma Republican senator now is tasked with leading not only a crucial federal agency in mounting crisis but also the immigration agenda of a White House that has increasingly found its hard-line enforcement policies a political liability in a midterm year that could cost the president's party control of Congress.

The largely partisan vote, 54-45, on March 23 was a break from precedent, as senators of both parties have in the past shown at least some deference to their colleagues in the legislative chamber to support nominees for Cabinet positions. It was a stark reminder of a staunchly polarized Congress, especially when it comes to immigration.

All GOP senators except one, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted to confirm Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter who ran a multimillion-dollar plumbing business before he was elected to Congress as a member of the House of Representatives more than a decade ago.

Paul's relationship with his colleague soured after the Oklahoman expressed sympathy with an attacker who left Paul with broken ribs and a damaged lung years ago. During Mullin's confirmation hearing, Paul, chairman of the Senate committee that oversees DHS, called him a "man with anger issues."

"I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force," Paul said.

Two Democrats − Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico − voted to confirm Mullin. Heinrich said in a written statement that though it may "surprise some people," he considers Mullin a friend.

“I have also seen first-hand that Markwayne is not someone who can simply be bullied into changing his views," he said. "I look forward to having a secretary who doesn’t take their orders from (Trump adviser) Stephen Miller."

Homeland Security Department still shut down as talks heat up

For nearly six weeks, the agency Mullin will head has been partially shut down.

After the killings in January of two Minnesotans by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents, Democrats refused to fully fund DHS, the 9/11-era Cabinet agency those divisions fall under, until the White House agrees to changes. Funded by other cash reserves, ICE and Customs and Border Protection have continued operating.

After a period of relative calm, the consequences of the shutdown have been dramatically worsening, seemingly by the day. The operations of the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, which is part of DHS, have rapidly devolved as unpaid workers call out sick with greater frequency. Hundreds of employees have resigned entirely, causing security lines to snake around airports across the country. Negotiations to reopen DHS have gained steam in recent days.

Mullin, a close friend of President Donald Trump's and a lawmaker with an adeptness at navigating congressional dynamics between the House of Representatives and Senate, has pitched himself as the person to right the ship. Though a hard-liner on illegal immigration, he has demonstrated an alacrity to ensure that lawmakers are better informed about Homeland Security operations.

He also said during his Senate confirmation hearing that under his leadership, ICE would not conduct immigration raids without a judicial warrant. That concession has been a major sticking point in negotiations to end the DHS shutdown and one to which the White House still hasn't publicly agreed.

"We will not enter a home or place of business without a judicial warrant," he told lawmakers, "unless we're pursuing an individual."

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.