President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin will replace Kristi Noem as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on March 31.
The announcement follows two Congressional oversight hearings Tuesday and Wednesday where lawmakers grilled Noem on her job overseeing the Department. Two fatal shootings in Minnesota following the DHS’ Operation Metro Surge and an alleged affair with her top aide have led members of Congress to scrutinize Noem’s leadership.
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
In a Thursday X post Noem thanked Trump for appointing her as Special Envoy for the Shield of Americas adding she looks forward to working with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth “closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”
“We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again: we delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard,” Noem added in her post.
Corey Lewandowski, Noem’s senior adviser with whom she is rumored to be having an affair with, is expected to depart the DHS along with her, Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported Thursday, citing an anonymous source familiar.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who served with Mullin in the lower chamber, held a press conference just minutes after the unexpected announcement, saying he had no comment on “what is to come.”
“[Noem] is gone. Good riddance. It’s something House Democrats made very clear a few weeks ago that she was either going to be fired or impeach,” Jeffries said at a press conference minutes after the Thursday announcement. “Kristi Noem has been fired, consistent with what we have demanded on behalf of the American people.”
Jeffries remained steadfast in demanding Democrats’ policy changes to Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE). Democrats’ asks have placed DHS funding in a 20-day-long gridlock, causing other agencies such as the Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, TSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency without critical funding.
Mullin’s departure for DHS will leave his Senate seat open, leaving Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to appoint a successor to fill his seat in the upper chamber.
“Markwayne Mullin has been a fighter for Oklahoma and will fight to keep our nation secure. There isn’t a better choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security,” Stitt wrote in a Thursday X post after Trump’s announcement.
Mullin, like other nominees to cabinet posts, is subject to Senate confirmation. The Oklahoma Republican’s Senate colleague Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, indicated on X that while he is “not sure how many fellow Democrats will vote to support” Mullin but he is an “AYE” vote.
“I am grateful to President Trump for nominating me to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” Mullin wrote in an X post, following Trump’s announcement of his nomination. “I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the Senate and carrying out President Trump’s mission alongside the department’s many capable agencies and the thousands of patriots who keep us safe every day.”
Trump touted Mullin’s combined 10 years of experience in both chambers, calling him a “MAGA Warrior” who “truly gets along well with people.” He also highlighted Mullin’s ability to advocate for Tribal Communities across the country as Mullin, the first American Indian to serve as DHS Secretary, is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation.
“Markwayne will work tirelessly to keep our border secure, stop migrant crime, murderers, and other criminals from illegally entering our country, end the scourge of illegal drugs and, make America safe again. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.”
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