DHS Nominee Mullin Calls for Funding to Be Restored in Confirmation Hearing

Republicans and Democrats disagree on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) testifies during his confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 18, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) called for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding to be restored during his confirmation hearing on March 18. 

Mullin spoke during his hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, after a month of conflict between Congress and the White House over money for the agency. 

“We have to get DHS funded,” Mullin said. He went on to say that “sometimes it’s political theater, sometimes it’s true differences, but what we do know is that we’re playing with fire” by allowing the agency to go without funding in place.

“We have 280,000 employees right now that are on day 30 without pay, and they’re still showing up every single day to do their job,” Mullin said.

“That is a dedicated group of people, and we should all be proud of them, and we should all be working together. We should all be trying to fund them.”

This hearing comes just days after senators took to the floor on March 11 and 12 to propose ways to end the partial DHS shutdown. Each proposal was rejected by the other party.

Dispute on the issue centers around funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without requiring changes to how the agencies operate. 

Democrats have called for changes within ICE and CBP, while Republicans say that those agencies cannot be separated from funding for the rest of DHS. 

During the hearing, committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.) accused Mullin of “anger issues” and criticized comments made by Mullin following a 2017 attack on Paul, perpetrated by Paul’s neighbor. While Mullin said he does not condone the violence, he confirmed he said he “understood” why Paul was attacked, given the Kentucky lawmaker’s staunch political positions.

Paul also played a clip of a challenge Mullin made during a 2023 hearing to fight Teamsters union leader Sean O’Brien. The nominee stood by his challenge, but also noted that he and O’Brien are now friends, and the union president was seated behind Mullin, appearing in his support.

Mullin, 48, was tapped to head DHS earlier this month to replace current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. 

Trump said he believes Mullin will “work tirelessly” to secure the U.S.–Mexico border and stop “migrant crime, murderers, and other criminals from illegally entering” the United States.

Mullin is slated to replace Noem on March 31. He was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is one-eighth Cherokee Indian, a documented member of the Cherokee Nation, and the only Native American in the U.S. Senate. 

Following the announcement, Mullin said that he was just as surprised by the news as the rest of the nation.

“I wasn’t expecting the call today,” he told an ABC News reporter during a live interview, adding that he is “ready to get started” and his “focus is to keep the homeland secure.”

During the first round of questioning in the confirmation hearing, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said authoritatively, “You will have the job.”

Moreno, an immigrant from Colombia, said of Mullin: “I know that is a good man. I will vote for you. Our Republican colleagues will vote for you. You will get confirmed. You will do a great job, and you will make this country proud.”

Chase Smith contributed to this report.