MEMO: Noem 2.0: Markwayne Mullin Is Another Reckless Choice to Lead DHS

Overview

As Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin heads into his Senate confirmation hearing to be the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, his record shows that he is uniquely unfit to lead the department. With zero experience in emergency management, a record of voting against critical disaster relief and undermining FEMA, and public support for Kristi Noem’s catastrophic leadership, Mullin has consistently prioritized partisan obstruction over public safety. 

As DHS Secretary, Mullin will rubber-stamp and execute the administration’s agenda to dismantle disaster relief programs, making recovery efforts slower and weaker. Make no mistake: If confirmed, Mullin will carry on Noem’s reckless and incompetent legacy as DHS Secretary, and American families will be less safe as a result.

Mullin is Unqualified to Serve as DHS Secretary 

• Mullin has no experience in emergency or disaster management, with reports finding that “[DHS] staff expect considerable chaos as DHS transitions leadership.” 
• Mullin has never served on either the House Homeland Security Committee or the Senate Homeland Security Committee. 

Mullin Repeatedly Voted Against Bills To Provide Disaster Relief

• Mullin voted against the September 2024 CR, which provided $20 billion to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund.
• Mullin repeatedly voted against providing aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, including the $60.2 billion aid package for victims.

Mullin Continually Undermined FEMA

• Mullin previously suggested that states would be more effective at handling disaster response than FEMA and even “questioned whether the federal government should even have a role” in disaster preparedness. 
• Mullin previously wrote a letter to FEMA opposing a new policy requiring states to consider climate change impacts in their State Hazard Mitigation Plans, calling the policy “excessive.”

Mullin Supported Noem, Trump Administration’s Disastrous Handling of DHS

• Mullin has been in lockstep with Noem and the Trump administration, implying he would continue the administration’s disastrous policies as DHS Secretary. 
• Mullin is known as a “fierce, unquestioning ally to Trump and his immigration agenda” and is expected to carry out the same chaotic and reckless agenda as his predecessor.
• Mullin praised Trump’s response to extreme weather in Oklahoma, even though Trump denied disaster mitigation funds to Oklahoma. 

Noem and Trump Gutted Disaster Response and Left Communities Vulnerable – Mullin Must Address Their Failures

• Secretary Noem has consistently mismanaged FEMA and fumbled the agency’s response to major disasters. As of January 2026, Noem’s requirement for her personal approval on all FEMA expenses exceeding $100,000 was creating a $17 billion bottleneck, causing months-long delays in delivering federal disaster funds to states. 
• Noem and DHS leadership redirected over $600 million from FEMA to build migrant detention centers and forcibly reassigned dozens of key FEMA staff to work for ICE on deportations, putting communities at further risk from extreme weather.
• Secretary Noem’s mismanagement has caused aid delays in communities across the country – from Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, Alabama, Arkansas, to even North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene recovery continues. 
• Under Trump and Noem, pending FEMA disaster applications are sitting longer on average than at any other point in the previous 37 years.
• Cuts at FEMA indefinitely blocked nearly $10 billion in FEMA disaster aid for nonprofits working to rebuild and rehouse after climate disasters. 
• Parts of FEMA’s response to the deadly July 2025 Texas flooding were delayed by over 72 hours due to Noem’s requirement that she sign off on contracts over $100,000. 
• In the aftermath of the Texas flooding, FEMA missed nearly two-thirds of the calls to the disaster assistance line because the call center contractors had been fired, and it took Noem five days to renew the contracts. 
• Before being fired, Kristi Noem did not approve contracts for critical tornado-tracking technology, hindering life-saving search-and-rescue efforts during tornadoes in the Midwest this month.
• Earlier this month, Trump canceled all FEMA emergency manager trainings, except for those related to the FIFA World Cup — leaving communities more vulnerable to extreme weather.