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Mullin Faces Senate Hearing to Lead DHS as Funding Standoff Tests Enforcement Agenda

Democrats have frozen DHS funding to force changes to immigration enforcement, putting his confirmation on the line.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin arrives to the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the US Capitol on January 28, 2026.
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Senator Markwayne Mullin speaks during a nomination hearing for Dr. Casey Means, for the medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and U.S. surgeon general during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 25, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman gestures to Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin as they stand in an elevator during a vote at the US Capitol on March 12, 2026.

Overview

  • Sen. Markwayne Mullin appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at 9:30 a.m. EDT to defend his nomination to replace Kristi Noem.
  • DHS has been partially shut down since mid‑February after Democrats blocked funding to demand limits on tactics such as masked officers, roving patrols and warrantless home entries.
  • The hearing spotlights accountability for recent ICE operations, including the shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, and lingering concerns over Noem-era management and contracting controversies.
  • Republicans are pushing a rapid confirmation to install new leadership by March 31, with at least some Democratic openness to Mullin, even as broader skepticism over the deportation push persists.
  • Operational strain continues across the department, with TSA staff working without pay and airports reporting longer lines, while FEMA faces a backlog exceeding $2.2 billion in disaster projects awaiting approval.