OAN Staff Nathaniel Mannor and Sophia Flores
Monday, March 23, 2026
UPDATE 6:22 PM – Senator Markwayne Mullin has been confirmed as the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
On Monday evening, less than three weeks after President Donald Trump announced that current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem would be reassigned to a new role, Markwayne Mullin was confirmed in a 54–45 vote.
In the final vote, Republican Rand Paul (R-Ky.) sided with Democrats voting “no,” and Democrats John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) voted “yes.”
12:38 PM – The Senate has voted to advance Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
On Sunday, the upper chamber voted 54–37 to end debate, paving the way for a final confirmation vote.
Senators John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) were the only Democrats who voted to advance the nomination while Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has consistently opposed Mullin to succeed Kristi Noem as the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The Senate is scheduled to hold the final confirmation vote at approximately 7:45 PM ET on Monday. If confirmed, he will take over as DHS secretary on March 31st.
Noem was ousted from the position in early March after President Donald Trump announced she would transition to a new role as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas. In a Truth Social post announcing the move, Trump thanked Noem for her dedicated service.
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