Markwayne Mullin makes his case to be Homeland Security Secretary, faces Senate resistance over temperament
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who is poised to lead the Department of Homeland Security, faced tough questions from Congress during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
Mulling suggested during the hearing that he would follow President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration priorities and pushed back on concerns over his temperament for the Cabinet post.
The Oklahoma senator, is set to inherit an already embattled department following the ouster of secretary Kristi Noem amid mounting criticism of her leadership of the agency.
RELATED: DHS pick Markwayne Mullin will appear before senators for his confirmation hearing
During Wednesday's hearing, Mullin said that Congress needed to put partisanship aside and fund the department as he vowed to get down to work and keep it out of controversies that under Noem have kept it on the front pages of the news, the Associated Press reported.
"I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of Homeland I’ll be protecting everybody," Mullin said. "My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day."
Rand Paul questions Mullin on assault, dueling
In a heated moment between Senators Rand Paul and Markwayne Mullin, during Mullin's confirmation hearing for Department of Homeland Security to replace Kristi Noem, Paul grilled Mullin about his past comments about an assault involving Paul, his temperament, and his potential support of dueling which has taken place between "consenting adults" including a famous episode in Congress with Charles Sumner.
The AP reported that in his opening remarks, Mullin stressed the need to restore funding to DHS.
Mullin lauded the DHS employees working without pay: "We should all be trying to fund them."
When asked by lawmakers whether DHS should meet a 3,000 a day quota for the number of immigration arrests it makes, Mullin said none had been set for him.
The AP reported that he also retracted comments he made about Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis man shot by federal immigration officers and whom Mullin had called "deranged."
RELATED: Kristi Noem defends department's immigration enforcement tactics during Senate hearing
"I shouldn’t have said that and as secretary, I wouldn’t," he said. The AP noted that he also said officers would only use a warrant signed by a judge to forcibly enter homes to make arrests, except in limited circumstances.
Later in the hearing, Mullin became emotional at some moments during the hearing and fought back at others, as he spoke of his family’s relationship with Trump and his own commitment to the president’s agenda.
What’s more, a funding battle in Congress is creating further bottlenecks for federal disaster assistance, increased frustration for travelers at the airport and scrutinized protocol for immigration enforcement. All these things, as well as Mullin’s combative personality, will make for a huge undertaking for the senator.
Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma and secretary of Homeland Security nominee for US President Donald Trump, during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesd
The hearing was the first opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from Mullin about how he intends to run the third-largest department in the Cabinet.
The agency, which has a workforce of about 260,000 employees, oversees a diverse mission set of responsibilities ranging from protecting the president to helping states recover from disasters to deporting people in the country illegally.
The other side:
After 13 years in Congress, fellow lawmakers hope Mullin can improve relationships on both sides of the aisle.
What they're saying:
"This is what the Democrats have been clamoring for. They wanted a new change and shake-up in the leadership, and it’s now happening," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. said.
What to know about Sen. Marwayne Mullin
The backstory:
Mullin is a rancher and business owner. He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and is a former MMA fighter, according to his official website.
He spent 10 years in the House of Representatives before he became a senator in 2023.
During his time in Congress, he served on the Senate Armed Services, Appropriations, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the Indian Affairs Committees.
Past controversies
Dig deeper:
Mullin has made a reputation for himself as being a combative voice in the Senate over the years.
In 2023, Mullin had an angry confrontation with the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The conversation got so heated, Mullin challenged the Teamsters president to a fight.
Mullin was also the center of an ethics investigation in 2013 over his continued involvement in his family business while at the same time serving in the House.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and previous reporting by LiveNOW from FOX. This story was reported from San Jose.