The mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is to ensure the safety of the American people, our communities, and our nation. At a time of growing threats both at home and abroad, ensuring continued strong leadership at DHS should not be a partisan issue. I can think of no better person than Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security as it enters a new phase of its efforts to deliver on President Trump’s pledge to secure America’s borders and to send violent criminal illegal immigrants back to their home countries.

Thanks to President Trump’s first choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem, our border has been secured for the first time in 50 years. Border crossings decreased over 90 percent from the peak in 2022 under Joe Biden’s leadership. Now, as Secretary Noem moves into a new role to fight back against narcotics traffickers, we cannot let up on enforcing our nation’s immigration laws and ensuring criminal aliens are not rewarded for illegally crossing our southern border, but are instead sent home — keeping our communities safe. Markwayne Mullin is the man for the moment.

I have known Senator Mullin long before either of us got elected to Congress. Our friendship didn’t start in Washington, and it isn’t based on politics. Over the years, I have been privileged to see how incredible he is as a public servant, as a man of God, and as a husband and as a father. I’ve witnessed firsthand his character, his work ethic, and his deep commitment to serving others. President Trump wants people serving him who are willing to fight for his America First agenda, and that’s exactly what he will be getting with Markwayne.

Markwayne and I both grew up in the Ozarks, and where we come from, people shoot you straight and say it like it is. That’s who Markwayne is. He doesn’t dodge tough questions, and he doesn’t sugar coat the truth. That’s exactly what we saw during his confirmation hearing this week. He answered every question directly and honestly to members of both parties, whether Senators liked it or not.

He is also someone of incredible character. When his son was dealing with a severe brain injury, he dropped what he was doing in Washington and went to be by his side. It was actually during that ordeal that Senator Mullin and President Trump became so close, as President Trump called Senator Mullin regularly to check in on how his son, he and his family were doing. It was amazing to witness the character of both men on display, but that’s who they are. His son is now fully healthy and has since gotten married to the love of his life — a wedding that I had the honor of officiating.

Markwayne is also not someone who is satisfied with leaving a job up to others when he is able to do it himself. When one of his constituents was unfairly detained in Turks and Caicos, he organized a bipartisan CODEL, flew down there, and made sure that constituent returned home safely. That kind of hands-on leadership is exactly what DHS needs right now.

For more than a month, Democrats have allowed the Department of Homeland Security to remain unfunded, creating uncertainty for the men and women who protect our homeland every single day. This hostage takeover of DHS funding has already affected hardworking Americans’ lives. TSA agents are not getting paid, resulting in historic wait times at airlines across the country. During a year where we’ve already seen two massive winter storms and tornado warnings across multiple states, including Missouri, FEMA remains unfunded — massively threatening our disaster preparedness. I have voted twice now to fully fund DHS, and it’s well past time for Democrats to stop putting illegal immigrants ahead of Americans’ safety and security.

Senator Mullin will keep DHS focused on its core mission: protecting our nation and keeping American lives safe — and I can’t wait for him to get started.