During his confirmation hearing to become secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) called on Congress to fund the department and indicated he would pursue alternative approaches to handling immigration enforcement and disaster relief.
The March 18 hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee was held as Congress and the White House debated the agency’s funding, with Democrats criticizing its handling of deportations.
If confirmed, Mullin will replace DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on March 31.
President Donald Trump praised Noem but reassigned her to be special envoy for the Shield of the Americas after protests surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota led to the deaths of two U.S. citizens.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the committee chairman, who has long clashed with Mullin, said a vote to advance his nomination will be held Thursday.
Restore Funding
Mullin told the Senate that full departmental funding is critical to DHS’s mission.“We have to get DHS funded,” he said. “We have to set the partisan side down, and we have to realize that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the American people. “
Mullin suggested that Congress was “playing with fire” by withholding money during a conflict with Iran and apparent lone-wolf terrorist attacks that have occurred across the country in recent weeks.
“I look at this as political theater,” Mullin later added.
Judicial Warrants
Mullin indicated during the hearing that he would take a different approach to immigration enforcement surrounding the use of administrative warrants.Democrats have demanded the use of judicial warrants for ICE to enter homes or businesses as a condition of funding DHS.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked if Mullin believed federal immigration officers should be required to seek judicial warrants before entering private property.
“We will not enter a home or a place of business without a judicial warrant unless we’re pursuing an individual that runs into a place of business or a house,” Mullin said.
For months, Trump officials have defended using administrative warrants for arresting illegal immigrants in homes.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) signaled openness to change on administrative warrants when asked outside the hearing.
Partnering With ICE
Mullin said his management style was to find talented people to work in the agency and “empower them.”“I want to bring peace of mind. I want to bring confidence back to the agency,” he said.
Mullin said he wanted to change how ICE carries out enforcement, forging partnerships with local governments and law enforcement.
“I would like to go in there and talk to the mayors. I’d like to go in there and talk to the sheriffs, talk to the chiefs, say, ‘What are your concerns?’”
Mullin said enforcing the law should not be controversial and he believes local law enforcement wants to do their jobs.
“The president has made it very clear he wants to protect the streets. He wants to restore law and order to every city,” he said.
Restructure FEMA
After Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) questioned him about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Mullin said it should be restructured, not eliminated.Kim noted bipartisan support for FEMA reform but expressed concerns about understaffing following 2,400 cuts to the agency under Noem.
“We’ll be adequately staffed to respond to our nation’s disasters, but it’s going to take some time to get there because, like I said, people are quitting today because they’re not getting paid for the third time in a year,” he said, highlighting the current lack of funding to FEMA.
Personality Clash
While there appeared to be bipartisan support for Mullin, the hearing was not without tension.The hearing grew heated when Paul accused his fellow Republican of having “anger issues” and questioned whether Mullin had the temperament to lead the department.
Mullin previously told the media that Paul was a “freaking snake,” and it was understandable why the Kentucky senator had been assaulted, according to Paul.
“Tell it to my face, if that’s what you believe,” Paul said.
Paul questioned if someone with Mullin’s temperament was fit to “lead an agency that has struggled to accept limits to the proper use of force.”
“We need a DHS secretary with a steady hand,” he said.
Mullin addressed their strained relationship before giving his opening statement, saying the pair just don’t get along.
Mullin said he doesn’t condone violence and that no one deserved to be hit by surprise, referring to the attack on Paul. But he refused to apologize for past statements and jabbed Paul for failing to support Republican legislation.
“Seems like you fight Republicans more than you work with us,” Mullin said. He accused Paul of spending “millions of dollars” in campaign funds against him.
However, Mullin said that he could set aside any hard feelings and work to be a DHS secretary who serves everyone equally.
“I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of Homeland, I’ll be protecting everybody, including Kentucky, as much as I will my own backyard in Oklahoma,” he said.