President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Sen. Markwayne Mullin will be replacing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, effective at the end of the month.
Mullin told reporters shortly after Trump’s announcement that he found out about his nomination not long before the public was told.
NEW: Mullin talking w us just now - says he found out not long before we did. pic.twitter.com/EwHHPUQ2Ve
— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) March 5, 2026
Who is Sen. Markwayne Mullin?
According to his official biography, Mullin is a "successful business owner, working cow-calf rancher."
He took office in the Senate in 2023 after 10 years in the House of Representatives, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district.
Mullin said he grew up on his family’s ranch in Westville, Oklahoma, and it is where his family still lives.
He graduated from Stilwell High School and then attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship.
He left school when his father became sick and worked at the family plumbing business. He eventually graduated in 2010 with a degree in Applied Science in Construction Technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.
Mullin "is an enrolled member of Cherokee Nation and is the first Tribal citizen to serve in the U.S. Senate in nearly two decades," he said.
He was a Mixed Martial Arts fighter (MMA), had a professional record of 5-0 and was inducted into the Oklahoma Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Mullin serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and the Indian Affairs Committee.
He is married to Christie Mullin and is the father of six children: Jayce, Jim, Andrew, Larra, Ivy and Lynette.
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