Senate confirms new Department of Homeland Security secretary

Markwayne Mullin is now the new Department of Homeland Security secretary.

On Monday evening, the Senate voted 54-45 in favor of his nomination. 

In a statement on Sunday, New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich said he would be among those to vote in favor of confirming Mullin, who he called a friend and someone he can work with.

“We have a very honest and constructive working relationship,” Heinrich said. “We have authored legislation together, such as the Tribal Buffalo Management Act, and we crafted the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill together. … We often disagree and when we do, we work to find whatever common ground we can share.”

Mullin’s confirmation came less than a week after the 48-year-old Oklahoma Republican senator was called a liar with anger management problems who lacks the temperament to lead DHS during his confirmation hearing and a day after the Senate agreed to move his nomination forward on a 54-37 vote.

Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem, was fired by President Donald Trump earlier in the month amid backlash regarding DHS’ immigration enforcement.

Mullin will be starting his new role amid a weekslong partial shutdown over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security, which has led to long waits at airports as Democrats demand changes in immigration enforcement operations following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

“(Taking over as secretary is) a tough assignment made all the more challenging right now by Democrats having shut down DHS for five weeks,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican. “But we all know Markwayne isn’t afraid of a challenge, far from it.”

Heinrich said Mullin is “not someone who can simply be bullied into changing his views, and I look forward to having a secretary who doesn’t take their orders from Stephen Miller (White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security).”

Heinrich’s fellow Democratic New Mexico senator, Ben Ray Luján, voted against Mullin’s nomination.

“Under the Trump administration, DHS has operated with incompetent leadership and zero oversight,” he said in a statement. “Trump’s out-of-control ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection) agents have killed two American citizens, bashed in windows with children in the car, gone into American citizens’ homes without warrants, and continue to terrorize our communities. Replacing Kristi Noem at DHS without accountability won’t fix anything.

“Real change needs to take place at DHS to regain the trust of the American people and better protect our communities. That’s why I voted against Senator Mullin’s confirmation. Regardless of who leads DHS, I will continue fighting to protect the rights of New Mexicans, keep our communities safe, and hold the Trump administration accountable.”

Hours before the vote, Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said Mullin is “a consensus builder” and he hopes Mullin will “take congressional oversight very seriously.”

“My advice to him is be transparent and responsive to the American people, answer our letters, protect whistleblowers, (and) hear whistleblowers out,” Grassley said.

During his testimony, Mullin — a member of the Cherokee Nation and former mixed-martial arts fighter with a reputation as one of Trump’s fiercest defenders in the Senate — emphasized the need to restore DHS funding and vowed to keep out of controversies that kept it on the front pages under Noem.

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, a ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said he would vote against the nomination and that he was “not convinced that one change in leadership is enough to right the ship.”

“We need a secretary who has a clear understanding of the department’s many different missions and a keen awareness of the challenges that the department faces,” Peters said. “We need a secretary who’s a steady leader, who won't rush to judgment without having all the facts and who won't add fuel to the fire when there is a crisis.

“Unfortunately, I have not seen the nominee exhibit these desperately needed characteristics in this confirmation process and I urge President Trump to reassess his administration’s prior record and nominate someone who will help return the department’s focus to all of its critical national security missions.”

Gregory R.C. Hasman is a general assignment reporter and the Road Warrior. He can be reached at ghasman@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3820. The Associated Press contributed to this report.