Mullin Inches Closer to Role of DHS Boss After Senate Advances Nomination

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) is one step closer to being the next head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The Senate advanced the 48-year-old’s nomination on March 22 in a 54–37 vote to limit debate on ​the appointment.

A final confirmation vote for the Oklahoma native, who is one-eighth Cherokee Indian, could happen as early as March 23.

If approved, he is expected to take over as DHS secretary on March 31.

Mullin served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 10 years before he was sworn into office as a U.S. senator in January 2023.

He has a series of businesses in Oklahoma that include his family’s longtime service company, Mullin Plumbing, and a steakhouse in the town of Stilwell.

President Donald Trump selected Mullin to lead DHS earlier this month after he appointed Secretary Kristi Noem as special envoy for the newly created Shield of the Americas on March 5.

The DHS oversees agencies including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

If confirmed by the Senate, Mullin would enter the job as the DHS deals with the financial fallout of a partial government shutdown, which began on Feb. 13 after the Senate failed to advance a funding bill for the department.

Staffers in the agencies under the DHS umbrella have been working without pay for a month, which has caused long lines at airport security checkpoints as many TSA agents have quit their jobs or called in sick.

The funding delay has even caused fears that some of the smaller airports would need to temporarily shut down.

The hourslong airport lines, which have caused some to miss their flights, prompted Trump to order ICE agents to airports starting on March 23 to help shorten wait times at security checkpoints.

White House border czar Tom Homan was picked to lead the effort.

“I’m currently working on the plan now, [the] execution, working with the director of ICE and administrator of TSA, the acting administrator, so we’ll put together a plan today and we’ll execute tomorrow,” Homan confirmed during CNN’s “State of the Union” show.

Homan said the ICE agents likely will focus on tasks such as guarding airport exits and providing extra security so that TSA agents can focus on areas such as operating screening machines and completing other specialized tasks, in order to speed up the lines.

The Trump administration has not yet revealed which airports will receive help from ICE agents.

Reuters contributed to this report.