The Senate is expected to vote Monday night on Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
The Oklahoma Republican was chosen by President Donald Trump earlier this month to replace Kristi Noem, who attracted a flurry of scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans alike for her leadership of the department and her use of taxpayer dollars.
“My goal in six months is that we’re not the lead story every single day. My goal is for people to understand we’re out there, we’re protecting them and we’re working with them,” Mullin said last week at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Mullin cleared a procedural hurdle Sunday with the support of two Democrats — Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico — and is expected to be approved by his Senate colleagues.
If approved, Mullin would take over a DHS that’s shut down as Democrats continue to withhold support for a funding package over concerns about immigration enforcement policies. Trump, meanwhile, is trying to jam through an unrelated voter-ID bill and has told Republicans to hold off on a DHS funding deal with Democrats until the SAVE America Act is passed.
