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EXCLUSIVE: Can Mullin Help the GOP End the DHS Shutdown?

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EXCLUSIVE: Can Mullin Help the GOP End the DHS Shutdown?

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., speaks to reporters after a vote at the U.S. Capitol Building on March 12, 2026. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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President Donald Trump’s new nominee for secretary of homeland security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., prepares to appear before the Senate, Democrats continue to keep the Department of Homeland Security shut down.

“It’s extremely disappointing that Democrats are once again putting petty politics over the safety and security of our nation,” Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, told The Daily Signal.  

Pfluger, a House Homeland Security Committee member who chairs the subcommittee on cybersecurity, spoke to The Daily Signal before Mullin’s Wednesday appearance on Capitol Hill.

Mullin will appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday morning. The Oklahoma senator is Trump’s choice to replace former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

As a kid from Westville, it has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve the people of Oklahoma for the past thirteen years in both the House and Senate. I am grateful to President Trump for nominating me to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I look forward to…— Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) March 5, 2026

As a kid from Westville, it has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve the people of Oklahoma for the past thirteen years in both the House and Senate. I am grateful to President Trump for nominating me to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I look forward to…

Republicans initially believed that Noem’s departure would grease the skids on an effort to end the DHS shutdown, but Democrats have continued to hold the line.

Pfluger believes Mullin is the right man for the job and has hope that Mullin’s attributes and talents can help bring the shutdown to an end.

“We need somebody who’s strong, who can communicate, who has the ability to lead, you know, from top to bottom, through all I mean. It’s not just security,” Pfluger said, referencing Mullin. 

“I think he brings the leadership skills, the communication skills, the ingenuity, and innovation to lead it into the next sets of challenges,” Pfluger continued. 

“Markwayne is a great guy. He’s a tremendous leader. I’ve known him since I came into Congress,” Pfluger said. “I know his heart is to always do the right thing for our country, always, and he will continue to do that when he’s confirmed as the secretary of DHS.”

The DHS encompasses the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Democrats have withheld funding over demands to reform ICE.

.@TSA agents have missed their paychecks, with some sleeping in their cars to save money on gas. This is inconceivable.Congressional Democrats need to wake up and fund @DHSgov! https://t.co/QGNPD8qesa— Rep. August Pfluger (@RepPfluger) March 17, 2026

.@TSA agents have missed their paychecks, with some sleeping in their cars to save money on gas. This is inconceivable.Congressional Democrats need to wake up and fund @DHSgov! https://t.co/QGNPD8qesa

Pfluger said the Democrat obstruction is endangering Americans who have become all too familiar with headlines of terrorist attacks.

“We had to learn the hard way on 9/11 about just how vulnerable our country can be to extremist terrorists, those that want to do us harm,” Pfluger said. “If we don’t stay vigilant than those types of things can really, really hurt our country, and we know the motive is out there.”

While Pfluger is optimistic about Mullin’s ability to lead DHS, he remains concerned that Democrats will remain intransigent in the face of terrorist threats.

“Nobody can really peer inside the mind of radicalism right now and understand what’s enough,” Pfluger said of Democrat demands.

The heinous attack targeting ROTC students in Norfolk, Virginia, is yet another reminder of the threats facing the homeland from a resurgence in foreign terrorist organizations, like ISIS, both at home and abroad.In the wake of increasing attacks and plots inspired by violent… https://t.co/PrFoKawfKL— House Homeland GOP (@HomelandGOP) March 12, 2026

The heinous attack targeting ROTC students in Norfolk, Virginia, is yet another reminder of the threats facing the homeland from a resurgence in foreign terrorist organizations, like ISIS, both at home and abroad.In the wake of increasing attacks and plots inspired by violent… https://t.co/PrFoKawfKL

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