Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is drawing praise from Republicans in Congress two months into the job, with North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis saying there was “no comparison” between him and Kristi Noem. Tillis said Mullin was “making all the right choices” and described the department as having a “sea of change” in how career staff are being treated.
Tillis said he was impressed with the mood inside the department and said Mullin was removing “a lot of the artificial barriers” introduced by Noem and Corey Lewandowski. “He’s relying on [border czar Tom] Homan. He’s stipulating that there were changes that needed to be made… I’m impressed with what he’s doing,” Tillis said. “And I’ll tell you, what I’m really impressed with is the mood of the building. There is a sea of change in the way that they’re being treated, and the respect the career staff are being given.”
The Republican praise matters because it reflects an immediate reset at the Department of Homeland Security after a turbulent stretch under Noem. President Donald Trump removed her in March after a little over a year in charge and named Mullin as her replacement after growing weary of the “constant chaos” around her, including spending controversies and the administration’s illegal immigration crackdown.
That crackdown became especially politically toxic after Noem’s stewardship was linked to the deaths of two Americans in Minneapolis. Noem called the dead protesters “domestic terrorists” and refused to apologize even after that characterization was proven to be wrong, a turn that helped define how lawmakers now contrast her tenure with Mullin’s.
Other Republicans said the shift was already visible in day-to-day dealings with the department. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino said communication since Mullin became secretary has been “wonderful,” adding that Mullin and his team have been “very easy to get a hold of” and quick to respond. Garbarino said Mullin does not want to embarrass the president and is working hard to keep Congress up to speed.
Not every Democrat is ready to say much yet. Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson said he had had little to do with Mullin, still regarded him as “an unknown commodity,” and said he had not received a “courtesy visit” or even a phone call. Michigan Sen. Gary Peters said he had not yet heard from Mullin, while New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich said they “have an open line of communication,” something Heinrich said had not been the case with Noem.
The early verdict from Capitol Hill is that Mullin is trying to lower the temperature at a department that had become a symbol of turmoil. Whether that calmer tone survives the politics of deportations and immigration enforcement will be the real test of his first months in charge.
