Leadership & Organization — 2026-03-24

Senate Confirms Mullin as DHS Secretary 54-45 During Record Department Shutdown

The Senate confirmed Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as Homeland Security Secretary by a 54-45 vote, with Democrats Fetterman and Heinrich crossing party lines. Republican Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul voted against, citing Mullin's 'anger issues' and questioning whether he could set a proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents. Mullin replaces Kristi Noem, fired after DHS agents shot and killed two American citizens during an immigration operation. He inherits a department in simultaneous crisis: funding shut down since February 14, 50,000 TSA agents working without pay, CISA at 38% staffing, and over 300 TSA officers resigned. Sunday set a new record with the highest TSA callout rate at 11.76%. Mullin pledged to require judicial warrants for home entries during immigration enforcement but declined to commit to restoring CISA staffing when pressed by Sen. Hassan.

Analysis
Prior IC briefs tracked Mullin through committee (8-7 vote March 19) and predicted late-week confirmation. Paul's opposition from the Republican committee chairman signals Mullin will face skeptical oversight from his own party on civil liberties, potentially creating space for FISA and surveillance reform that DHS equities would normally oppose. His refusal to commit on CISA staffing, combined with the ongoing shutdown, means the cyber defense workforce gap will persist through the Iran conflict's peak cyber threat period.

4 sources

Senate confirms Markwayne Mullin to be DHS secretary, replacing Kristi Noem - NBC News
Senate confirms Mullin as DHS secretary - Axios
Senate approves Markwayne Mullin as next DHS secretary - CNBC
Mullin confirmed to lead DHS as shutdown drags on and 100,000 employees remain unpaid - Government Executive