Former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the ninth secretary of homeland security on Tuesday, replacing Kristi Noem.
“With Secretary Mullin at DHS, we will continue our record-setting efforts to deport these illegal alien criminals from our country, and we are doing it at record levels, despite a very unfair court system,” President Donald Trump said.
Mullin, who was confirmed by the Senate in a 54-45 vote on Monday night, steps into the role amid a weekslong funding lapse for the agency as lawmakers on Capitol Hill battle over the administration’s immigration operations.
Negotiations over funding the agency appear to be picking up steam on Capitol Hill, with a deal to fund most of the department except Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation operations being floated.
The immigration enforcement agency’s deportation operations might instead be funded in a party-line budget process known as reconciliation. Republicans are also weighing pairing that effort with elements of the SAVE America Act, an election integrity measure that would mandate photo identification to vote in elections.
The new homeland security secretary’s confirmation was supported by two Democrats, Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and nearly all Republicans except Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). Paul vocally opposed Mullin’s appointment by Trump, arguing he was unfit for the role over accusations of promoting political violence.
Energy executive Alan Armstrong was tapped to fill out the remainder of Mullin’s Senate term by Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK). He is expected to be sworn in to the upper chamber on Tuesday afternoon.
MARKWAYNE MULLIN CONFIRMED AS DHS SECRETARY WITH SUPPORT FROM TWO DEMOCRATS
Eyes will be on Mullin to see how he handles the agency after Noem’s tenure was embroiled in controversy over her handling of deportation operations in Minneapolis and an expensive TV ad blitz she claimed the president had signed off on, but Trump denied knowledge of.
Noem is now serving as the president’s special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas.”
