Mullin faces explosive DHS hearing as Rand Paul feud, Dem skepticism threaten path

Frustrations, friendship and questions of temperament dominated the confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as the Senate works to confirm him as head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The hearing, led by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., began with a tense exchange between him and Mullin and ended with questions about whether the committee would even hold a confirmation vote.

President Donald Trump tapped Mullin to replace outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The Senate has little time to move forward in the process, given that Trump has set a March 31 deadline for Mullin to be named the next head of Homeland Security.

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Chairman Senator Rand Paul speaks as Senator Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, testifies before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, March 18, 2026. (Reuters/Evan Vucci; Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images)

Paul plans to oppose him, meaning that unless Mullin can gain support from Democrats on the panel, his nomination will be significantly slowed.

It was rapid, explosive and marred by the ongoing DHS shutdown, which entered its 33rd day Wednesday. Below are key moments from the exchanges that will decide whether Mullin gets the job to lead the troubled agency.

‘Say it to my face’

The hearing immediately opened with fireworks following Mullin’s comments that Paul’s 2017 assault, which left him with several broken ribs and the removal of part of his lung, was “justified.”

Paul accused Mullin of never having “the courage to look me in the eye and tell me the attack was justified.”

“I just wonder if someone who applauds violence against his political opponents is the right person to lead an agency that has struggled to accept the limits of the proper use of force,” Paul said.

Mullin retorted before launching into his opening remarks, saying Paul called him a “liar” and argued that “everybody in this room knows I’m very blunt, blunt and direct.”

“And if I have something to say, I’ll say it directly to your face. If you remember, back in my House days, we actually had this conversation because of the remarks I made.”

“You were in a room. I just brought this up,” he continued. “I said I could understand, because of your behavior, I could understand why your neighbor did what he did.”

“These words probably should have been removed”

Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the panel’s top Democrat, pressed Mullin on his accusation that Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Minnesota, was a “deranged individual who came to cause maximum damage.”

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Gary Peters, D-Mich., grilled Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., during his confirmation hearing to become the next head of DHS. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Can we expect these kinds of quick responses if you are confirmed as secretary?” Peters said. “Would you — basically — respond as Secretary Noem, are we going to expect the same behavior to happen again?”

Mullin did not respond to Peters’ question.

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“Those words probably should have been removed,” Mullin said. “I shouldn’t have said that. If I were secretary, I wouldn’t do it. The investigation is ongoing.”

“And there are – like I said – there are sometimes mistakes, and that’s mine. I went there too quickly. I responded immediately without the facts,” he continued. “It’s my fault. That won’t happen as secretary.”

Fetterman breaks with Democrats

Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, is no stranger to opposing his own party, and he will likely do so again in Mullin’s confirmation vote.

Sen. John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, speaks to a reporter as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for a vote on December 3, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The two became friends during a congressional delegation trip and have maintained that relationship ever since.

And he recognizes that he will likely be the key vote to confirm his colleague.

“I came here and I committed to coming here with an open mind, and I’m going to continue to do that. These are not going to be tough times for me. My experience with you has been consistent and professional,” Fetterman said.

But Fetterman also took a moment to criticize his party for continuing to block funding for DHS and noted that he was “the only Democrat who refused to shut down our DHS.”

“It’s a strange dedication. I don’t understand why you would shut down the entire agency just because you want these kinds of reforms on ICE that have absolutely no impact on ICE and don’t mandate any of these things,” Fetterman said. “I refuse to do that.”

Mullin’s classified trip

The nature of the murky trip Mullin took while in the House nearly derailed his confirmation vote expected Thursday.

Peters questioned the lawmaker about an undisclosed trip taken between 2015 and 2016 and charged that “really, while we’ve had these conversations, you haven’t been open with me or this committee.”

“The story always seems to be moving, toward change, and as you know, openness and honesty and transparency are absolutely essential, particularly at this time, in trying to build trust as Secretary of Homeland Security,” Peters said.

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Paul demanded Mullin explain the trip in a classified setting and threatened to cancel the hearing otherwise.

“I’m still willing to vote tomorrow, but I can cancel the vote tomorrow,” Paul said. “I’m still ready to vote, get it over with and be done with it.”

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Mullin argued that to his knowledge, only four people knew about the details of the trip and that he did not have the authority to tell Paul or Peters.

“I would really like to sit there and have a conversation with you, because I don’t want you to have any questions or question my character on this,” Mullin said. “It’s very simple for me, but I can’t give that permission. You know that.”