President Donald Trump announced Thursday he was replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump has named Markwayne Mullin, the junior senator from Oklahoma, to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.ย
The 48-year-old Republican would take over the department from Secretary Kristi Noem. In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said he is making Noem “Special Envoy of the Americas,” a new job the president said he will launch from Florida on Saturday.
The move comes amid scrutiny over DHS’ policies and as a partial government shutdown has paused funding for the cabinet-level agency. Criticism for Noem even came from Republicans, like Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who called her leadership a, “disaster.”
That same scrutiny may now fall on Mullin as the senator will have to ย prepares for a confirmation hearing by his peers.ย
Who is Markwayne Mullin?ย
A member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin is the only Native American currently serving in the U.S. Senate. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Mullin will be the first Native American to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security since the post was established in 2003.ย
Mullin was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election in 2022 to replace Jim Inhofe. Since assuming office as senator, Mullin has been a staunch supporter of Trump, recently applaudingย the president’s decision to attack Iran: “How about we say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President, for finally getting rid of this nuisance.'” In 2025, the senator voted for each of Trump’s major cabinet nominations, including for Noem.ย
Ahead of Trump’s first State of the Union address of his second presidency, Mullin praised the president’s immigration policies while referring to himself as a “close ally” of the president.
“President Trump delivered the most secure southern border in American history — without a single change in U.S. law,” Mullin said in February. “It turns out, all we needed was a new president.”ย
Before serving in the U.S. Senate, Mullin represented Oklahoma’s second congressional district in the U.S. House, comprising the eastern part of the state. He was a representative from 2013 to 2023. ย
Mullin also has a record as a welterweight mixed martial artist, fighting in three professional matches between 2006 and 2007.ย
Trump praised the senator’s political and athletic record while announcing Mullin’s nomination on TruthSocial.ย
“A MAGA warrior and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people and knows the wisdom and courage required to advance our America First agenda,” Trump wrote. “As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible tribal communities.”ย
A fight on the Senate floorย
In November 2023, Mullin took Senate confrontations to another level, challenging Sean O’Brien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to a fight during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing.ย
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) broke things up as Mullin began taking off his rings.ย
“You are a United States senator!,” Sanders yelled before Mullin relented.ย
Now, Sanders and 98 other U.S. Senators will have their say on whether Mullin will succeed Noem as DHS Secretary. A simple 51-vote majority or a 50-50 vote and a yes vote from Vice President JD Vance is necessary for confirmation. Republicans control the U.S. Senate with 53 members in their caucus to the Democrats’ 47 seats.ย
In 2025, all of Trump’s nominations were approved by the GOP-controlled body. Mullin would become the second sitting U.S. senator to face a confirmation by his peers to the second Trump administration. The first, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was unanimously confirmed by the chamber.ย
Under a federal law governing executive branch vacancies, he would be allowed to serve as an acting Homeland Security secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.
