Markwayne Mullin sworn-in as DHS Secretary
UPDATE (12:35 PM): Markwayne Mullin has been sworn-in as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Oklahoma Republican took his oath in a ceremony Tuesday in the Oval Office.
"He has been a close and vital partner in helping us secure the border, stop migrant crime and the scourge of illegal drugs and make America safe again and make America great again," said President Donald Trump.
Mullin takes over while DHS remains unfunded. At the swearing in, President Trump called for an end to the partial government shutdown, blaming the lack of funding on Democrats.
"As you know, the department that Markwayne takes over today is currently shut down by radical left Democrat thugs in Congress who have blocked all funding for DHS because they're trying to shield illegal alien criminals, gang members. They want to protect them," the president expressed.
Mullin pledged not to let politics get in the way of keeping Americans safe.
"I made this very clear that I don't care what color your state is. I don't care if you're red or you're blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be Secretary of Homeland [Security] and to protect everybody the same, and we will do that," Mullin explained.
Trump also took questions from reporters, providing an update on negotiations with new leaders in Iran.
"We're in negotiations right now. They're doing it, along with Marco [and] JD. We have a number of people doing it. And the other side, I can tell you, they'd like to make a deal. And who wouldn't if you were there? Look, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their communications are gone. That's the biggest problem. It's very hard to communicate them between themselves."
President Donald Trump
Mullin takes over the department from Kristi Noem, whose rocky tenure as secretary included the deaths of two American citizens at the hands of DHS agents, and a $220 million ad campaign that featured her prominently.
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA) - Markwayne Mullin is the new Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The senate confirmed him Monday in a vote of 54 to 45, with two Democrat senators, John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich, voting in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the chairman of the panel overseeing the DHS, voted against Mullin after clashing with him during his confirmation hearing last week.
Mullin replaces Secretary Kristi Noem, whom President Donald Trump fired about six weeks after DHS agents shot and killed two American citizens during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
The Republican senator from Oklahoma enters the position as the agency remains shut down and negotiations over funding legislation continues.
