Watch live: Hearing for Homeland Security Secretary pick Markwayne Mullin

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who is poised to lead the Department of Homeland Security, is facing tough questions from Congress during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday. 

Mullin, an Oklahoma senator, is set to inherit an already embattled department following the ouster of secretary Kristi Noem amid mounting criticism of her leadership of the agency.

During Wednesday's hearing, Mullin said that Congress needed to put partisanship aside and fund the department as he vowed to get down to work and keep it out of controversies that under Noem have kept it on the front pages of the news, the Associated Press reported. 

"I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of Homeland I’ll be protecting everybody," Mullin said. "My goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day."

The AP reported that in his opening remarks, Mullin stressed the need to restore funding to DHS.

"We have to get DHS funded. We have to, my friends. We have to set the partisan side down. And we have to realize that we’re putting our homeland and the peace of mind at risk for the American people," Mullin told senators at the hearing. 

Mullin lauded the DHS employees working without pay: "We should all be trying to fund them."

RELATED: DHS pick Markwayne Mullin will appear before senators for his confirmation hearing

What’s more, a funding battle in Congress is creating further bottlenecks for federal disaster assistance, increased frustration for travelers at the airport and scrutinized protocol for immigration enforcement. All these things, as well as Mullin’s combative personality, will make for a huge undertaking for the senator. 

FILE-Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) speaks during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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The hearing is the first opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from Mullin about how he intends to run the third-largest department in the Cabinet. 

The agency, which has a workforce of about 260,000 employees, oversees a diverse mission set of responsibilities ranging from protecting the president to helping states recover from disasters to deporting people in the country illegally.

The other side:

After 13 years in Congress, fellow lawmakers hope Mullin can improve relationships on both sides of the aisle. 

What they're saying:

"This is what the Democrats have been clamoring for. They wanted a new change and shake-up in the leadership, and it’s now happening," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. said. 

What to know about Sen. Marwayne Mullin

The backstory:

Mullin is a rancher and business owner. He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and is a former MMA fighter, according to his official website. 

He spent 10 years in the House of Representatives before he became a senator in 2023.

During his time in Congress, he served on the Senate Armed Services, Appropriations, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the Indian Affairs Committees. 

Past controversies

Dig deeper:

Mullin has made a reputation for himself as being a combative voice in the Senate over the years. 

In 2023, Mullin had an angry confrontation with the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The conversation got so heated, Mullin challenged the Teamsters president to a fight. 

Mullin was also the center of an ethics investigation in 2013 over his continued involvement in his family business while at the same time serving in the House.