President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has chosen Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security. If confirmed, Mullin would replace Kristi Noem, who led the agency through a broad and controversial crackdown on immigration. Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, saying Mullin “will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”
Mullin posted a statement on social media expressing appreciation for the nomination and calling service to Oklahoma “the greatest honor and privilege.” He said he looks forward to supporting the president’s mission to safeguard the American people and defend the homeland. Mullin is a relatively new senator who has become a close Trump ally and a vocal defender of the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
Congressional service and roles
– Mullin was first elected to the U.S. House in 2012 and took office in January 2013. A decade later he won a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by James Inhofe.
– He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and is the first tribal citizen in the Senate since 2005.
– Mullin has defended President Trump on multiple issues, including backing the president’s decision to launch strikes against Iran.
– He serves on Appropriations, Armed Services, Indian Affairs and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees.
– In his role on Appropriations, Mullin helps write and negotiate federal funding, including discussions to fund DHS. DHS has been operating without annual appropriations funding since Feb. 14.
– He has frequently defended the administration’s immigration enforcement approach.
Background before politics
– Mullin has a background in construction and took over the family business, Mullin Plumbing, when his father became ill.
– He hosted a home improvement talk radio show and continued to receive income from that work after being elected, according to a House Ethics Committee report.
– Mullin attended college on a wrestling scholarship and is a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame; he left school before finishing to help the family business and holds an associate degree in construction technology.
– He is a former mixed martial arts fighter.
Confirmation and Senate implications
– Trump said Mullin would start in the new role on March 31. The Senate must confirm the nomination.
– Mullin will need to appear before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs as part of the confirmation process.
– News reports note past clashes between Mullin and the committee’s chairman, Rand Paul, R-Ky.
– Mullin told reporters he was informed of the selection just before Trump made it public and that he and the president will “get on the same page” about the job.
What happens to his Senate seat
– Mullin was up for reelection this year. Oklahoma law gives the governor authority to appoint a replacement to serve through Jan. 2027.
– There is still time for candidates to declare to run for the full term.
