Who is Markwayne Mullin, Trump choice to replace Noem at DHS
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Trump's pick to replace Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security, is, like Noem, a vocal advocate for the president's immigration policies.
Mullin, who served in the House for years before being elected to the Senate in November 2022, is one of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill and has been a frequent intermediary between the White House and congressional Republicans.
He has often leaned on his longstanding House ties, working with his former colleagues there as the GOP hashed out the party’s sweeping tax and border security law last year.
His selection still must be approved by the Senate, but under a federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he would be allowed to serve as an acting Homeland Security secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
Voting in the Senate just after Trump announced he had fired Noem, DHS announcement, Mullin said he has “no idea” how quickly his nomination will move. He also said that he spoke to Trump just before the announcement went out.
“The president and I are good friends. So we look forward to working closer with the White House, and obviously I’m gonna be over there a lot more,” he said.
Mullin would take over the third-largest department in government that has responsibility for carrying out Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
And he takes the office at a pivotal time for that agenda. Immigration enforcement during the first year of Trump’s administration was largely defined by high-profile, made-for-social-media operations with flashy names that were often led by Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who reported directly to Noem.
Noem herself often went out on those operations, riding along with officers when they went out to make arrests.
Mullin told reporters at the Capitol he would get DHS “focused on protecting the homeland.”
“Whether you support me or don’t support me, I’m going to be laser-focused on getting that done,” he added.