U.S. Senate advances DHS secretary nomination in procedural vote

People attend a rally in front of the Los Angeles City Hall, in Los Angeles, California, the United States, Jan. 31, 2026. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Senate on Sunday advanced Senator Markwayne Mullin's nomination for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, just over two weeks after President Donald Trump announced that he will replace current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.

The upper chamber advanced the nomination in a 54 to 37 vote. A final confirmation vote is likely to take place in the coming days.

Mullin, 48, has served in the Senate since 2023 after a decade in the House representing Oklahoma.

His nomination came amid growing bipartisan frustration with Noem's leadership, marking the first Cabinet shakeup of Trump's second term.

"I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on March 5.

Noem has been under bipartisan pressure after federal law enforcement officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and further angered Trump with her performance at recent congressional hearings.

"Noem's decision to allot 200 million dollars for an ad campaign, featuring herself urging those living illegally in the U.S. to self-deport, had already rankled the president for months for its self-promotional style," according to an earlier report by The Wall Street Journal. ■