Senator Markwayne Mullen’s Nomination Advances in Senate Amid Questioning on FEMA

By Noah Patton, NLIHC Director of Disaster Recovery and Oliver Porter, NLIHC DHR Intern 

Senator Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination to become the next Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) passed out of committee on Thursday, March 19. Due to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA’s) status as a sub-agency of DHS, Mullin’s nomination has significant implications for disaster survivors and disaster-prone communities across the country. A full vote on the Senate floor is expected later this week to conclude the nomination process. Mullin is all but certain to be confirmed, due to his popularity amongst Republicans and relationships with Senators built during his time in the chamber.  

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) voted eight to seven in favor of Mullin's nomination. The vote mostly fell along party lines. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to join his Republican colleagues in voting yes, while the committee chair, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)—whose dislike for Mullin stems from a past argument where Mullin had seemingly condoned an act of political violence against Paul—joined Democrats in voting against his nomination. 

Senator Mullin is the junior senator of Oklahoma, first elected to the body in 2023 in a special election. He previously served as a member of the House (Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district) for ten years. He currently serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee; the Appropriations Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee; and the Indian Affairs Committee. Before politics, Mullin ran a large, family-owned plumbing business.  

Mullin’s predecessor, Secretary Kristi Noem, upended FEMA during her controversial tenure. Noem oversaw extensive cuts to staff and programs, which triggered a range of challenges in court and caused a $17 billion backlog in FEMA disbursements. The DHS Secretary also was the public face of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign. As public outrage over excessive (and sometimes deadly) use of force by immigration enforcement agents mounted, Noem was summoned to participate in oversight hearings with both chambers of Congress at the beginning of the month. During questioning from Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), Noem said that her widely criticized $220 million ad campaign—which faced allegations of financial impropriety—had been fully backed by the president. This assertion seems to have been the final straw. By the end of the week, Senator Mullin was named as the secretary’s replacement. 

During his confirmation hearing with the Senate HSGAC committee last Wednesday, Mullin made several important commitments pertaining to FEMA. He stated that he doesn’t believe that the agency should be eliminated, just “restructured.” He also promised to revoke Secretary Noem’s $100k-approval rule (which had required the secretary’s signature for any FEMA disbursements over $100k, resulting in the $17 billion backlog mentioned earlier). Mullin dismissed the rule as a form of “micro-managing.”  

When Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) asked if Mullin would work to formally nominate a FEMA Administrator instead of relying on acting administrators as the Trump administration has done so far, Mullin agreed. However, Mullin’s position on staffing levels at FEMA remains a cause for concern. When asked if he would stop the aggressive staffing cuts at FEMA, Mullin dodged the question and redirected, saying that what was more disastrous is having three government shutdowns in one year—referring to the current lapse in appropriations for the DHS based on violence connected to immigration enforcement actions in communities across the country.  

The Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) will continue to monitor these leadership changes to the DHS and keep members and partners aware of their implications for disaster survivors.