Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as Homeland Security Secretary on Tuesday, replacing Kristi Noem, who left her post after allegations of misusing government funds and having an extramarital affair with her advisor Corey Lewandowski.
The previous day, he was confirmed in a 54-45 vote, largely along party lines, with two Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, voting alongside their Republican colleagues.
His confirmation comes as the department faces growing scrutiny over its hardline immigration policies, which have included warrantless raids on homes and other locations, violence against detainees and clashes with local law enforcement.
It also comes during a weeks-long partial government shutdown over Democrats' opposition to DHS funding amid questions about the department’s human rights practices. What is Mullin's political background? Mullin, from Oklahoma, served for 10 years in the US House of Representatives, starting in 2013 and three years in the Senate.
During his tenure in Congress, he was a strong supporter of US President Donald Trump 's policies, including immigration enforcement.
He largely voted along partisan lines in both the House and the Senate, avoiding support for bipartisan legislation, such as funding for public health. What did he do before politics? In 1997, before entering politics, Mullin took over his family's plumbing business after his father's health declined.
Within less than 15 years, it had become the largest plumbing business in the state. Between 2006 and 2007, he was a professional mixed martial artist and was later inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
His fighting skills would eventually come up during his DHS confirmation. What have been the main controversies surrounding his appointment? One of the main controversies over Mullin's appointment has been multiple instances of violent rhetoric.
In March 2023, Mullin verbally clashed with Teamsters Sean O'Brian at a Senate hearing. The following November, at a follow-up hearing, Mullin challenged O'Brian to a fight, which Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont then de-escalated.
In another instance, during a Senate hearing earlier this month, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky asked Mullin why he had expressed sympathy with his neighbour who had violently attacked him in 2017.
Probably most relevant to his position as DHS secretary was using the words "deranged individual" to describe Alex Pretti, a Minnesota resident who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in January.
He later suggested he regretted the comment, though he didn't directly apologise to his family.
Aside from his violent rhetoric, Mullin has faced questions over possible conflicts of interest in his stock trading.
He has also seen scrutiny over comments he made suggesting he had been in a war zone, although he had never been in a war.
In March, Axios reported that he had told colleagues he had been involved in private security in the Middle East, something he later described vaguely as mentorship. What can be expected from the new Homeland Security Secretary? Despite his hardline history on immigration policy, Mullin has emphasised that he will be different from his predecessor.
He has said he wants to win back the public's trust and work with Democrats on their issues with DHS to secure funding for the agency, including requiring warrants for immigration enforcement.
"My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day. My goal is for people to understand we're out there, we're protecting them, and we're working with them," he said at a Senate confirmation hearing earlier this month. "But we have to get DHS funded."