Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified before the House Homeland Security Committee about President Trump's fiscal 2027 budget request for the department. The White House is requesting $63 billion in budget authority for DHS in 2027, which represents a $2.2 billion decrease from the 2026 enacted budget levels.
Mullin, a former House representative who was elected Oklahoma's junior senator in 2022, was recently confirmed by the Senate to lead the 260,000-employee department. The Republican-controlled chamber confirmed him largely along party lines with a vote of 54-45. Rand Paul of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against Mullin, while Democrats John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico voted in favor.
At his confirmation hearing, Mullin signaled he would take a different approach to leading DHS compared to his predecessor Kristi Noem. "My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day. My goal is for people to understand we're out there, we're protecting them, and we're working with them," Mullin told senators.
The testimony comes as funding negotiations for the department have grown increasingly complicated. Parts of DHS operations were shuttered in mid-February after Democrats rejected funding legislation because it lacked new guardrails on immigration enforcement operations. Democrats demanded restrictions following incidents where immigration agents killed two US citizens during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis.
At his confirmation hearing, Mullin addressed several contentious immigration enforcement topics. When asked about deploying immigration agents at polling stations, he expressed skepticism about concerns regarding the practice. "I don't understand what the concern about enforcing immigration at polling places is anyways. Because, honestly, if you're not a citizen, you shouldn't be voting anyways," Mullin said.
However, he did affirm that immigration agents would not enter homes or businesses without a judicial warrant signed by a judge. Reports had emerged suggesting ICE agents could enter properties with administrative warrants, which are internal documents authorized by agency supervisors. "We will not enter a home or place of business without a judicial warrant unless we're pursuing the individual that runs into a place of business or a house," Mullin told senators.
Immigration enforcement has become increasingly central to the Trump administration's agenda. Mullin is positioned to play a key role in implementing policies that polling shows are growing unpopular among the public ahead of the November midterm elections, during which Republicans will be defending their control of both chambers of Congress.
Mullin's departure from the Senate allows Oklahoma's Republican Governor Kevin Stitt to appoint a replacement. Under state law, the appointee must be from the same party as the incumbent and cannot run in the next election for the seat.