Trump swears in Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security secretary
President Trump inaugurated Markwayne Mullin as secretary of Homeland Security on Tuesday, marking the start of the former senator’s tenure leading the agency tasked with implementing the administration’s polarizing immigration enforcement policies.
At a ceremony in the Oval Office, Mr. Mullin said he was “humbled” by the position and vowed never to take it for granted.
“It doesn’t matter what color your state is. I don’t care if you’re red or blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be the Secretary of Homeland Security and protect everyone equally. And that’s exactly what we will do,” he said.
Mr. Trump praised his choice for the job, highlighting Mr. Mullin’s career in the House and Senate as a Republican from Oklahoma.
“I have no doubt that with the help of DHS, MarkWayne will fight for homeland security and America, to secure the country and make it truly strong, as it should be,” Mr. Trump said.
The Senate on Monday confirmed Mr. Mullin, 48, to the post by a vote of 54 to 45. Nearly all Republicans and two Democrats voted in favor of his nomination. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, split from his party and opposed Mr. Mullin, while two Democrats – Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico – supported him.
Mr. Mullin is the first member of the Cherokee Nation to serve as a member of a presidential cabinet. He replaces former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was forced out after a series of controversies.
Mr. Mullin takes the helm of DHS at a time when the agency is reeling from the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. He also takes the reins as thousands of department employees work without pay due to the partial government shutdown that began Feb. 14 and has wreaked havoc in long security lines at airports across the country.
The president has sent more than 100 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports to help ease staffing shortages as Transportation Security Administration agents quit while working without pay.
