By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - Markwayne Mullin, nominated to replace outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will testify on Wednesday at a Senate confirmation hearing where immigration enforcement, government spending and national security are expected to be at the forefront.
Mullin, a Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma, has been a reliable backer of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies. He will likely face scrutiny from Democrats, who have blocked federal funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security since mid-February as they demand Trump scale back immigration tactics.
Trump, a Republican, launched an aggressive campaign to deport immigration offenders after taking office in 2025. While the effort has portrayed immigrants as dangerous criminals, many of those arrested have had no criminal record, including children and families.
Under Noem's leadership, the Trump administration surged federal agents into U.S. cities last year to make immigration arrests, with major operations in Los Angeles and Chicago. Masked agents tackled day laborers in parking lots and tear-gassed neighborhoods as residents tried to document their actions. The officers' militaristic tactics led to legal challenges and public criticism.
After federal immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January, the Trump administration shifted its tone and said it would take a more targeted approach. Despite the statements, Democrats have refused to approve funding for DHS until the Trump administration makes changes to immigration enforcement, leaving the department in a partial shutdown since mid-February.
Amid mounting criticism from Republican lawmakers over the immigration crackdown and Noem's handling of DHS, Trump fired her earlier this month and announced he would nominate Mullin, a businessman who spent a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives before his election to the Senate for a term beginning in 2023.
BUSINESS BACKGROUND, STOCK TRADES
The quickly assembled confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee could offer Mullin a chance to show how he would approach the job and to address lawmakers' concerns over Noem's management of the department.
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In prepared remarks shared with Reuters, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the committee's top Democrat, criticized Noem for saying the U.S. citizens killed in Minneapolis had committed acts of domestic terrorism, rather than calling for an investigation.
"It's not the role of the secretary to be a cable news commentator in the wake of a crisis," Peters said.
Mullin, who once ran a family plumbing business, is one of the wealthiest members of the Senate. A 2024 financial disclosure form showed he had between $29 million and $97 million in assets. In recent years, he has traded millions of dollars in stocks, according to websites tracking trading among lawmakers.
A spokesperson for Mullin said he uses an independent firm to manage his stock portfolio in compliance with federal law.
During his 2012 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, Mullin faced criticism from a Democratic opponent related to hiring a convicted felon who had access to firearms at his plumbing business. The opponent also said the business did not use E-Verify, a federal system that verifies an employee's lawful immigration status.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said this week that there was "no indication Mullin did anything inappropriate" related to the felon and that "none of his businesses ever employed workers without legal status."
As a member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin was only the fourth Native American to become a senator at the time of his election win.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
