Hearing Report: Confirmation Hearing Held for Senator Mullin to Become the Next DHS Secretary

March 18, 2026

Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee held a confirmation hearing with Senator Markwayne Mullin, who President Trump has nominated to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), replacing Kristi Noem. Mullin is a close ally of the President, but he is also viewed as a bipartisan lawmaker who is willing to work across the aisle.

Mullin is currently a Republican Senator from the state of Oklahoma. He was elected in a special election in 2022 to fill the remainder of Senator Jim Inhofe’s term. He previously served for 10 years in the House of Representatives.

Committee Chair Rand Paul (R-KY), Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI), and other members of the Committee engaged in sometimes tense and fiery confrontations with the Senator, raising concerns about his character and whether his temperament was suitable to lead DHS.

The DHS shutdown was repeatedly raised by many Senators, with both sides sticking to their political stances about funding either all or parts of DHS (like TSA) while immigration enforcement policies are resolved. Mullin expressed concern about the number of DHS employees leaving the agency due to a lack of stable funding, which makes it more difficult to have an appropriate number of staff and equipment (e.g., C-UAS) to securely handle high-profile events like the FIFA World Cup. He noted that it will take at least four months to backfill positions of employees who left the department, “if they can find the right people”, for more stable employment elsewhere during the three shutdowns this fiscal year. The FIFA World Cup begins in less than three months.

Mullin, in response to a question from Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), promised to revoke Secretary Noem’s policy that the Secretary must approve any contract or invoice totaling $100,000 or more. Her policy greatly delayed contract awards, including many at TSA and for FEMA disaster relief efforts.

What’s Next?

The Committee is currently scheduled to vote on Senator Mullin’s nomination tomorrow morning. At this time, it is unclear whether Chair Paul will vote in favor of this nomination; however, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) is expected to do so, making it probable that his nomination will move to the full Senate for consideration. With widespread support from Republican Senators, Mullin is expected to be confirmed by the full Senate.