Senate Holds Mullin DHS Confirmation Hearing Today as Shutdown Cripples TSA and Immigration Enforcement
The Senate Homeland Security Committee holds Markwayne Mullin’s confirmation hearing today at 9:30 a.m. ET as he seeks to replace Kristi Noem amid a partial DHS shutdown of more than a month that has left over 100,000 employees furloughed or working without pay and prompted hundreds of TSA officers to quit or call out sick, creating long airport lines and strained immigration and disaster‑response operations. Mullin — an Oklahoma senator with a non‑traditional background whom Trump calls a “MAGA Warrior” and who pledges aggressive deportation enforcement — faces fierce Democratic demands for fundamental reforms over controversial immigration sweeps that sparked protests and two deaths in Minneapolis, even as Republicans and a handful of Democrats signal support and push for a rapid confirmation.
📌 Key Facts
- Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s Senate Homeland Security Committee confirmation hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 (live-streamed); the committee could vote as soon as Thursday and Republican leaders say Mullin is on a 'glidepath' to confirmation.
- The Department of Homeland Security has been in a partial shutdown for more than a month (about five weeks), leaving over 100,000 DHS employees furloughed or working without pay — including TSA and FEMA staff — producing staffing shortages, hundreds of TSA officers quitting or calling out sick and long airport security lines.
- Kristi Noem was removed as DHS secretary after bipartisan criticism of aggressive enforcement operations (including two U.S. citizen deaths during an ICE surge in Minneapolis); she has been reassigned as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas and Mullin is Trump’s nominee to replace her, with the White House pushing for the change by March 31.
- The confirmation is framed as a test of the administration’s mass‑deportation/enforcement agenda: the White House insists the agenda is unchanged and has urged focus on people with criminal records, but advocates, civil‑liberties groups and much of the public say the approach is at a crossroads and has soured public opinion.
- Mullin’s background is nontraditional for DHS leadership — a former mixed‑martial‑arts fighter, collegiate wrestler, rancher and plumbing‑company owner without a formal law‑enforcement career — and he has claimed unverified private security work in Middle East war zones; some of his prior statements defending controversial ICE actions have drawn criticism.
- Political dynamics are mixed: several Republicans and some Democrats (including Sen. John Fetterman and endorsements from figures like Teamsters president Sean O’Brien) have signaled support, while other Democrats (including Sens. Andy Kim and Richard Blumenthal) oppose the nomination or demand retractions and deep reforms.
- Lawmakers and oversight voices — including Sen. John Kennedy, Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Thom Tillis and the ACLU — are pressing Mullin for management reforms, a full audit of DHS, and concrete commitments on how immigration enforcement will be conducted; Democrats are conditioning funding for DHS on conduct reforms.
- Officials and former agency leaders warn Mullin will face critical operational choices about whether enforcement prioritizes 'numbers or quality' — mass arrest sweeps to boost deportation totals versus more targeted operations — even as the department faces heightened external risks and delayed disaster aid.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, Black employees comprised 29.5% of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce, compared to 13.4% of the U.S. population, indicating overrepresentation of Black workers in this federal agency affected by the government shutdown.
Transportation security screeners | Data USA — Data USA
In 2023, Hispanic employees comprised 22.1% of the TSA workforce, compared to 19.1% of the U.S. population, showing a slight overrepresentation, with specific breakdowns including 50.9% Mexican, 22.9% Puerto Rican, and 6.71% Guatemalan among Hispanics.
Transportation security screeners | Data USA — Data USA
According to a 2026 analysis, immigration raised the average wage of U.S.-born workers by 0.8% over the period from 2000 to 2022, contrary to concerns about wage suppression.
23 Economic Impact of Immigration Statistics Every Employer Should Know — Alma
New research in 2026 found that reducing immigration does not lead to real wage increases for native-born workers and that immigration has a positive effect on innovation and economic growth in the United States.
New Research Finds Reducing Immigration Does Not Help U.S. Workers — Forbes
📊 Analysis & Commentary (1)
Quinceañeras and Republican tumult
"A critical commentary arguing that Republican attempts at cultural outreach (evoked by 'quinceañeras') ring hollow amid DHS turmoil and a hard‑line deportation agenda that undermines trust with Latino communities and exposes the party’s internal dysfunction."
📰 Source Timeline (11)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 18, 2026
11:22 AM
Trump DHS pick Markwayne Mullin will appear before senators for his confirmation hearing
New information:
- Confirms Mullin’s hearing is the first opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from him about how he plans to run DHS.
- Provides additional White House framing via spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, emphasizing Mullin will focus on 'removing the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens' in line with Trump’s agenda.
- Includes advance excerpts of opening remarks from Sen. Gary Peters, who says he has 'reservations' about Mullin’s readiness and calls for 'straightforward' reforms to align DHS officers’ conduct with police rules.
- Reiterates and contextualizes that intense enforcement operations in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — including controversial tactics and two protester shooting deaths in Minneapolis — are a central backdrop for questioning Mullin.
- Stresses that the public mood has soured on mass‑deportation tactics and that Democrats are refusing to fund DHS until conduct reforms are made.
10:00 AM
Markwayne Mullin confirmation hearing set for today
New information:
- CBS specifies that Mullin’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is set for 9:30 a.m. today and will be live‑streamed.
- The article reports DHS has been shut down for more than a month due to a funding impasse over immigration enforcement operations.
- It adds that hundreds of TSA officers have quit and many are calling out sick as they work without pay, creating significant staffing headaches at U.S. airports.
- CBS notes Democrats attempted unanimous‑consent funding for most DHS agencies (blocked by Republicans), while Republicans pushed a temporary full‑DHS funding bill (blocked by Democrats), detailing the latest failed maneuvers on the Hill.
- The piece emphasizes Mullin is considered on a 'glidepath' to confirmation, with the committee potentially voting as soon as Thursday and Republican leaders expecting some Democratic support.
9:00 AM
Mullin faces Democrat grilling in first hurdle to lead DHS amid shutdown fight
New information:
- Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee explicitly plan to use the hearing to extract Mullin’s commitments to 'far‑reaching and fundamental' reforms to DHS immigration enforcement.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal is quoted calling Mullin’s past 'incendiary statements' disqualifying unless he retracts them and warning Mullin should be 'defeated and rejected' if he refuses deep reforms.
- The article underscores Mullin’s 'icy' personal relationship with Committee Chair Sen. Rand Paul, who declined to preview how the hearing will go, saying only, 'Come tomorrow, and you’ll find out more.'
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune says GOP leaders have not formally whipped votes but notes Mullin has 'good, strong relationships' with Democrats and frames the nomination as giving Democrats the leadership change they demanded when Kristi Noem was removed.
- Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat on the committee, is identified as an early public supporter of Mullin’s nomination and says he is in ongoing talks with Mullin about DHS reforms and has a planned pre‑hearing meeting.
- The piece reiterates Trump’s desired timeline: he wants Mullin installed and Noem out by March 31, adding urgency to the confirmation push despite Democratic resistance.
9:00 AM
Markwayne Mullin’s offer on DHS: The same Trump agenda, a new hardline leader
New information:
- Confirms Mullin will face his Senate colleagues in a confirmation hearing on Wednesday in the same type of committee room where former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure began to unravel.
- Details that DHS remains shut down and under scrutiny for two fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis, which have sparked protests and questions about agency tactics.
- Reports that Mullin publicly defended the January shooting of Renee Good as “justified,” saying, “If you don’t want to be in harm’s way, don’t get in the way of police officers from doing their job.”
- Includes Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s on‑record support for Mullin, with her critique of Noem’s management and her call for “more engagement with the Congress” from DHS leadership.
- Quotes Sens. John Kennedy and Thom Tillis outlining what they want from Mullin on FEMA disaster relief and on Operation Charlotte’s Web, with Tillis saying Mullin should “come clean” about the ICE surge in North Carolina that led to detention of U.S. citizens.
9:00 AM
Sen. Mullin faces confirmation hearing to lead Homeland Security Department
New information:
- NPR confirms the hearing is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, and will be before the Senate Homeland Security Committee (with live stream).
- Reports that Kristi Noem becomes the first Cabinet secretary to leave Trump’s second-term administration and has been reassigned as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a regional coalition of Latin American countries.
- Details that an immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota led to protests and the deaths of two U.S. citizens, a key factor in Noem’s bipartisan criticism and removal.
- States that over 100,000 DHS employees are currently furloughed or working without pay due to the partial DHS shutdown, including TSA and FEMA workers who are unrelated to immigration enforcement.
- Provides excerpts of prepared opening remarks from Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking Democrat Gary Peters, including his concerns about Mullin’s 'readiness' and his warning that the DHS secretary should not be a 'cable news commentator' in crises.
- Notes that Mullin’s nomination has drawn support from Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, despite Mullin having previously threatened to fight him in a Senate hearing, with O’Brien now calling Mullin willing to 'stand their butt up to protect America.'
- Reiterates Trump’s posted rationale for choosing Mullin, including his pledge that Mullin will 'Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country' and 'MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.'
8:50 AM
Sen. Markwayne Mullin's secret war zone past
New information:
- Axios reports that Markwayne Mullin has privately told colleagues he did dangerous private security work in Middle East war zones, including Afghanistan, before running for Congress, though there is no public record of such work.
- Multiple former House colleagues say Mullin has described spending extended periods overseas 'protecting our country' in a non-military role, and Mullin himself told a radio show he did 'special assignments outside of DoD' working 'alongside' those under military contract.
- Mullin refused to answer Axios’ questions directly, saying, 'Brother, you know that I can't talk about any questions like this,' while his spokesperson framed his pre‑Congress work as Christian 'mission work' and mentorship for U.S. troops, not confirming the war‑zone security claims.
March 17, 2026
6:02 PM
Trump's security pick Mullin poised to inherit a DHS beset by challenges
New information:
- AP details that Mullin would "walk into" DHS with immigration enforcement at a crossroads, delayed disaster aid angering states, and frustrated travelers facing long TSA lines due to a monthlong funding battle in Congress.
- The article specifies that outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s social‑media‑driven management style contributed to her downfall and that Mullin is expected to follow White House policy priorities while being seen in the Senate more as a de facto spokesman for Trump than a legislator.
- It reports that approval of Trump’s immigration approach has fallen since the start of his second term, with most Americans now saying he has "gone too far," raising pressure on Mullin to recalibrate how mass deportations are carried out.
- Former acting ICE Director John Sandweg is quoted warning Mullin will need to decide whether enforcement focuses on "numbers or quality"—mass arrest sweeps versus more targeted operations—and that he will face internal pressure to keep deportation numbers high.
- Sen. John Kennedy, R‑La., is quoted saying DHS has "serious management problems" and that he told Mullin a full audit of the department is needed.
10:00 AM
Mullin wins backing from China, Cuba hawks — and some Democrats — as critics question fitness to lead DHS
New information:
- Sen. James Lankford, a Homeland Security Committee member from Oklahoma, publicly calls Mullin 'the right man at the right time' and says he expects Mullin to 'turn FEMA around.'
- Rep. Carlos Gimenez, the only Cuban‑born member of Congress and a leading Cuba hawk, strongly endorses Mullin, tying his support to expectations of a 'dramatic transition in Cuba' and saying he trusts Mullin to implement a 'course‑correction' at DHS.
- Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee, says he will vote to confirm Mullin, citing agreement on border security and 'rounding up and deporting criminals' while criticizing Kristi Noem’s Minneapolis operation.
- Democratic Sen. Andy Kim, also on the Homeland Security Committee, goes on record as a hard 'no,' framing Mullin’s confirmation as a referendum on Trump’s immigration enforcement and FEMA performance and saying the administration resists needed reforms.
- Trump has publicly floated the idea that Cuba’s regime could collapse 'pretty soon,' with backers suggesting Mullin is suited to manage DHS during potential upheaval there.
9:00 AM
Wrestler, senator, tribal citizen: Who is Markwayne Mullin, Trump’s pick to lead DHS?
New information:
- Confirms that Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin is President Trump’s nominee to replace fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and that his Senate confirmation hearing is set for Wednesday.
- States that DHS has been in a partial shutdown for about five weeks, leaving thousands of employees unpaid while the department faces heightened risks from the Iran war and pressure to execute mass deportations.
- Details Mullin’s background as a former mixed martial arts fighter, collegiate wrestler, rancher, and plumbing company owner, and notes he lacks a formal law-enforcement background, which is typical for DHS secretaries.
- Reports that Trump publicly labeled Mullin a 'MAGA Warrior' and that Mullin responded by praising Trump for having 'the most secure U.S. border in American history' and pledging to 'defend the homeland.'
- Includes on‑the‑record support from GOP Sen. John Boozman, who calls Mullin well liked on both sides of the aisle and predicts he will have little trouble being confirmed.
March 16, 2026
3:00 PM
Trump's mass deportation agenda is at a crossroads as DHS changes leadership
New information:
- Confirms timing and framing of Kristi Noem’s departure and Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s upcoming DHS confirmation hearings as the immediate ‘crossroads’ for Trump’s immigration agenda.
- Reports that the White House political director, at a retreat at Trump’s Florida golf club, urged Republicans to emphasize enforcement against people with criminal records, while the White House press office insists the overall mass‑deportation agenda is unchanged.
- Quotes House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the aggressive deportation sweeps a political “hiccup” and promising a “course correction,” even as operations continue and ramp up.
- Highlights civil‑liberties concerns from the ACLU’s Sarah Mehta, who says the public is now seeing what “mass detention and mass deportation” look like and describes DHS as “really going forward with some of the cruelest policies.”
- Includes pro‑deportation advocate Rosemary Jenks arguing that now is an “opportunity” to increase deportation numbers amid internal GOP talk of backing away from Trump’s campaign‑trail mass deportation promise.