Senate confirms Mullin as shutdown, SAVE America Act fights drag on

The Senate confirmed Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as the ninth Homeland Security secretary, completing a sprint to replace embattled outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem.

It also caps a 13-year Congressional career that began in the House and saw Mullin win a seat in the Senate in 2021, where he became a de facto bridge between both chambers, helping to build trust between the House and Senate during last year’s effort to pass the “big, beautiful bill.” He came with his family before the vote and was excited to cast his last vote.

Mullin, who was picked by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, was confirmed on a largely party-line vote. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. and Martin Heinrich, D.N.M., joined nearly every Republican in clinching the nomination.

Heinrich said he went against his party because he saw that Mullin, who co-chairs the Senate Legislative Branch spending committee with him, “is not someone who can be forced to change his views.”

WHILE DHS REMAINS CLOSED, MULLIN’S CONFIRMATION WAS DELIVERED BY CRITICAL TEST VOTES

“And I look forward to having a secretary who doesn’t take her orders from Stephen Miller,” Heinrich said.

You. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was the only Republican to vote against Mullin, citing their frosty relationship and past comments that Mullin’s attack in 2017 was “justified.”

Mullin’s confirmation also saw the end of a tumultuous month in which Noem was reappointed after an explosive pair of hearings on Capitol Hill and the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

SCHUMER GAMBIT FAILED AS DHS CLOSURE WAS 36 DAYS AND AIRPORT LINES EXPANDED

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testified at the March 2026 hearing in Washington. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Still, Noem’s ouster and Mullin’s elevation did little to shift Senate Democrats from their positions. They continue to demand sweeping reforms to ICE and have blocked funding to the agency five times so far, along with several attempts by the GOP to temporarily fund DHS.

The path to ending the shutdown became more complicated over the weekend.

Both sides began meeting for the first time during the shutdown; Senate Majority Leader John Thune (RS.D.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) called the talks “productive.”

But Trump dealt a blow to the negotiations Sunday night on Truth Social, writing: “Unless the Crazy, Country-Destroying, Radical Left Democrats vote with the Republicans to pass the ‘SAVE AMERICA ACT,’ I don’t think we should make any deal with them.”

GOP SENATOR’S GAMBIT EXPOSES FALSE DEM CLAIMS ABOUT SUPPORTING VOTER ID

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. President Trump is heading to Tennessee before returning to Washington. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

“In other words, get everything together and VOTE!!! Kill the Filibuster and stay in DC for Easter if you have to,” Trump said.

This comes after Thune suggested to the president that Republicans could separate funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection from a broader DHS package and instead fund those agencies through budget reconciliation.

Considering last weekend’s voting was plagued by absenteeism, canceling the recess could be a tough sell in the upper house. Asked if he would cancel the upcoming two-week layoff, Thune said, “We’ll see.”

A group of Senate Republicans met with Trump ahead of Mullin’s confirmation vote. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told reporters the meeting went “really well.”

“We do,” he said when asked if Republicans had a solution to end the shutdown.

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Yet Senate Democrats remain united in their opposition to the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

“We’re prepared to meet with the White House today to continue the conversation,” Schumer said. “We were actually supposed to meet with Tom Homan this morning. But apparently the White House canceled that meeting because of Donald Trump’s tantrum. They’re all in a rush at the White House. They don’t know what to do.”