Senate Sets Confirmation Hearing for DHS Nominee Mullin
The confirmation hearing for President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, was scheduled for Wednesday, March 18.
The president fired Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary and nominated Senator Mullin to take her place, with Secretary Noem exiting her position on March 31.
Senator Mullin is expected to be confirmed with broad Republican support and the support of at least one Democrat, Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, allowing him to take the reins of the agency during a shutdown. He’s expected to bring about ten aides with him and will keep the majority of the current staff in place.
“He’s obviously pretty well-vetted around here, so hopefully we can get the process going,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).
Republicans praised Senator Mullin as an immigration hardliner, but one who knows how to work within the system.
“Look, he’s always been strong on the border. He’s always felt strongly about the importance of homeland security. But I think he’ll be politically sensitive to what the current situation is,” said Representative Tom Cole (R-OK), a longtime colleague.
And while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the Senate should not consider a DHS nominee until demands are met on immigration enforcement policy, others feel differently.
Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) said it’s a chance to ask tough questions on how the administration has been handling immigration policy.
“Are we going to continue to have raids on churches, on farms, on worksites? Are we going to be threatened with election interference? So we’re going to have an opportunity to speak with Sen. Mullin and go to the heart of some of these questions that I think are troubling,” said Senator Welch.
Yet others aren’t as optimistic.
“He’s given no indication that he plans the kind of reforms that the American people are demanding,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). “I have hope that he’ll rethink some of his positions as we go through the confirmation process. But I have no factual basis for hope.”
Senator Mullin himself said he would sit down with Democrats. As for his policy views, he did not give details about how he plans to shift away from policies under Secretary Noem but he did say he’s open to changes.
“There’s an opportunity to build off successes, and there’s also opportunities to build off things that didn’t go as planned,” Senator Mullin told reporters.
Like Secretary Noem, Senator Mullin has supported the use of body cameras for law enforcement and has backed the idea of deporting U.S. citizen children alongside their noncitizen parents.
He also echoed comments from Secretary Noem criticizing the actions of Renee Good and Alex Pretti after they were killed by federal officers in Minnesota. It’s a line of remarks that did not sit well with members of both parties.
