Markwayne Mullin, confirmed Monday by the U.S. Senate as the next Secretary of Homeland Security, becomes the first Oklahoman named to a presidential cabinet position since 2018, when Scott Pruitt concluded his brief stint as director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Before Pruitt, the last Oklahoman to serve as a U.S. Cabinet member was during the Reagan administration.
The 54-45 vote marks the end of Mullin’s U.S. Senate career and the beginning of his presidential cabinet career.
With his confirmation, Mullin becomes the first member of the Cherokee Nation tribe to lead the department. His first day on the job will certainly not be uneventful, as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down nearly 40 days following the deaths of two Americans at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.)
The more than 280,000 American workers under the umbrella of DHS have missed paychecks during the current shutdown. Mullin was questioned about the partial government shutdown during his confirmation hearing: “We have to get DHS funded,” Mullin said. “We have to set the partisan side down and we have to realize that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the American people.”
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) vouched for his fellow Oklahoman and long-time Senate colleague, emphasizing their shared friendship throughout their time working together.
“In just a few moments, this body will vote for the next Secretary of Homeland Security. It happens to be a friend of mine, his name is Markwayne Mullin. Markwayne Mullin is the pride of Westville, Okla.,” Lankford said. “Markwayne Mullin has risen from being a country boy on a cow-calf operation with his dad, running a very small plumbing company, to tonight being confirmed as our next Secretary of Homeland Security.”
During his confirmation hearing, Mullin addressed the weight of the mission he is about to undertake.
“I will work hard each day. I’ll work hard to make the 280,000 employees at DHS with the 22 agencies that’s underneath me proud. I’ll show them-somebody that no one will outwork.”
The political ripple effects are already being felt back home in Oklahoma as a Senate seat opens. Gov. Kevin Stitt is tasked with appointing an interim successor to fill the vacancy Mullin left behind.
That person will hold the Senate seat until the general election in November, when voters will choose a successor to serve out the next term. U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) has already signaled his intention to run for the seat.
Mullin takes office under intense pressure to reform ICE. Democrats strongly questioned Mullin during the confirmation process, demanding he ensure the agency strictly adheres to warrant laws.
“A judicial warrant will be used to go into houses, into place of businesses unless we’re pursuing someone that enters into that place. I have not minced words with that and I haven’t changed my opinion about that,” Mullin said.
Opposition to Mullin’s confirmation wasn’t limited to Democrats. Mullin’s history of friction with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) became a focal point during the hearings and the final vote, as Paul was the only Republican to vote against Mullin.
“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.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) crossed party lines to support Mullin’s nomination. Their support provided the bipartisan cushion needed to finalize the appointment despite Paul’s opposition Now that the confirmation vote is complete, Mullin is expected to resign from the U.S. Senate, clearing the way for Stitt to appoint an interim successor. Stitt has scheduled an announcement for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The DHS has lacked permanent leadership since the dismissal of former secretary Kristi Noem. While President Trump maintains that Noem was promoted, the DHS secretary sits 18th in the line of succession for the presidency; since no officials higher in that line have been removed, this assertion continues to face skepticism.
Gaylord News is a reporting project of the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. For more stories by Gaylord News go to GaylordNews.net.
