Senate Confirms Markwayne Mullin 03/24 06:02
The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as homeland security secretary late
Monday, approving President Donald Trump's nominee to take over the embattled
department after the firing of Kristi Noem during a public backlash over the
administration's immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as homeland
security secretary late Monday, approving President Donald Trump's nominee to
take over the embattled department after the firing of Kristi Noem during a
public backlash over the administration's immigration enforcement and mass
deportation operations.
Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma known for his close friendship
with Trump, has tried to present himself as a steady hand, saying his goal as
secretary would be to get the department off the front page of the news. He
takes over at a difficult time as Trump has ordered ICE agents to bolster
airport security during a budget standoff in Congress. And he tangled with the
Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who questioned Mullin's
character and temperament during last week's combative confirmation hearing.
Senators confirmed him on a largely party-line vote, 54-45.
Routine funding for the Department of Homeland Security has lapsed since
Feb. 14, leading to long waits at U.S. airports as Transportation Security
Administration agents call out rather than work without pay. Democrats are
demanding the Trump administration make changes in immigration enforcement
operations following the deaths of two U.S. citizens during protests this year
in Minneapolis. Trump has refused the latest proposal, and talks have stalled.
MMA fighter takes on Homeland Security
While the senator comes to the position after more than a dozen years in
Congress, and with the management experience of running an expanding family
plumbing business in Oklahoma, he has not been seen as a key force in
immigration issues.
A former mixed martial arts fighter and collegiate wrestler who has led
early-morning workout sessions in the members-only House gym, he became close
with members of both parties and is often seen as a negotiator in partisan
Washington.
It is his loyalty to Trump that landed him the job, and he's not expected to
sway from the president's approach. Mullin was a strong supporter of Trump's
immigration agenda and ICE officers before being tapped for the DHS job.
"I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary
of homeland I'll be protecting everybody," Mullin said during his confirmation
hearing.
Immigration enforcement at center of funding stalemate
Mullin's first challenge will be to restore routine funding to the
department that has been blocked since mid-February as Democrats demand tighter
restraints. They want immigration officers to identify themselves and not wear
masks; refrain from enforcement operations around schools, churches, hospitals
and other sensitive locations; wear body cameras; and obtain a judge's approval
on warrants before entering people's homes or private spaces.
At his confirmation hearing last week, Mullin sought to portray himself as a
steady hand at a pivotal time for the agency -- an image that was challenged by
the committee chairman, Republican Sen. Rand Paul, in a heated exchange.
Democrats are also skeptical, seeing him as a loyal executor of Trump's agenda.
Paul voted against Mullin during the committee vote, and again Monday.
Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New
Mexico joined the other Republicans in voting to confirm the nominee.
"Markwayne Mullin is ready to lead," said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the
No. 2 ranking Republican. He said Mullin will "serve with seriousness and
character. He will be a leader who makes our country safer."
Mullin comes into office at a time when public support for the president's
immigration agenda has fallen after a year of high-profile operations in
multiple American cities. Under Noem's leadership, officers were accused of
using force to arrest immigrants, detaining them in squalid conditions and
bypassing due process to rapidly deport immigrants.
Mullin did walk back some of his comments during his confirmation hearing,
saying he was wrong to malign protester Alex Pretti after he was shot and
killed by an ICE officer. He said that as secretary he would refrain from
making judgments before an investigation is carried out.
He shed light on other ways he might influence policy when it comes to
immigration. For example, he said officers would be required to use a warrant
signed by a judge -- not the administrative warrants now used by ICE officers
-- to enter a house except in rare circumstances.
He acknowledged the concerns some communities have over building massive ICE
detention facilities in their neighborhoods and said cutting off federal funds
to so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that don't work with ICE would be a last
resort.
But ultimately, it is the White House that sets the agenda when it comes to
how Trump's vision for immigration enforcement is carried out, and Mullin is
expected to follow its lead. Trump faces a strong lobby within the GOP pushing
him to make good on his promise to deport 1 million people a year.
FEMA and federal disaster aid in flux
Mullin will also have his hands full charting a new course at the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, which has come under scrutiny as it delivers
disaster aid to parts of the country hard-hit by hurricanes and other natural
disasters.
A growing number of critics, even fellow Republicans, said Noem's policy of
personally approving contracts over $100,000 slowed disaster response, and the
department still doesn't have a full-time administrator.
Mullin presented a fresh approach on federal emergency management during his
Senate confirmation hearing, rejecting the idea of eliminating FEMA and saying
he would revoke Noem's contract approval rule.
