Markwayne Mullin was confirmed by the Senate to lead the Department of Homeland Security, in a 54-45 vote Monday night.
Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico voted in favor of Mullin’s confirmation. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the sole Republican to oppose Mullin.
What led up to Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation?
President Donald Trump announced on March 5 that Senator Mullinwas his choice toreplace KristiNoem as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. The announcement on Truth Social said the change would be effective March 31.
Mullin’s hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee happened on March 18. Mullin faced questions about election security, FEMA, and border patrol. Committee chair Rand Paul questioned Mullin’s temperament and leadership.
U.S. Senator James Lankford praised Mullin’s work ethic and told the committee Mullin embodies the “Oklahoma Standard.”
The Homeland Security Committee advanced Mullin’s nomination with an 8-7 vote on March 19. Sen. Paul voted against Mullin, but Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted to move the nomination forward.
The Senate held a procedural vote to advance Mullin’s DHS nomination on March 22. The vote was 57-34 in favor of Mullin.
Why was Kristi Noem fired from DHS?
Mullin’s nomination follows Noem’s ouster as DHS secretary amid intense scrutiny of the department’s handling of immigration enforcement in recent months. Days before the president announced she would be replaced, Noem also faced criticism from Republicans at a pair of confirmation hearings on DHS’s controversial advertising spending.
Mullin has outlined that his leadership style would differ from Noem’s, saying his focus is on “empowering people.”
Mullin, 48, has been in the Senate since 2023 after representing Oklahoma in the House for a decade. During his time in the Senate, the businessman and former MMA fighter has been a key player in coordinating between the upper and lower chambers, along with the White House. And since his nomination, he’s received widespread praise among Republicans, and a handful of Democrats.
How will Markwayne Mullin’s U.S. Senate seat be filled?
Oklahoma passed Senate Bill 959, authored by Lonnie Paxton, which allows the governor to temporarily appoint someone to fill a vacant U.S. Senate seat. The measure is designed to prevent the state from going months without representation and to avoid thehigh costof a standalone special election, which could run about $4 million.
Instead of holding a separate special election immediately, the bill moves the vote to the next regularly scheduled statewide general election. This ensures voters still have their say while reducing costs and avoiding scheduling conflicts.
Who will fill Oklahoma’s U.S. Senate seat?
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to appoint Alan Armstrong,chairmanof Williams Companies, to the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Markwayne Mullin, according to sources familiar with the process.
Stitt has not made a formal announcement about Armstrong, but NOTUS journalist Reese Gorman told Oklahoma’s Own political analyst Scott Mitchell that Stitt and Armstrong met with President Trump at Mar-A-Lago on Sunday.
(CBS News contributed to this report)
This article was originally published by KOTV (News on 6). You can see the original story here.