https://washingtonsun.com/oklahoma Oklahoma en-US Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:17:06 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/trump-pick-mike-mazzei-oklahoma-republican-governor Reese Gorman Former state Sen. Mike Mazzei beat Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond in a runoff, all but ensuring he’ll be the state’s next governor. Wed, 26 Aug 2026 03:17:06 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/trump-pick-mike-mazzei-oklahoma-republican-governor Former Oklahoma state Sen. Mike Mazzei is projected to win the Republican nomination for Oklahoma governor, giving President Donald Trump, who endorsed him, a win in one of his favorite states.

Mazzei defeated Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has faced criticism from Trump and Gov. Kevin Stitt, in a primary runoff Tuesday. He will face the Democratic nominee, Oklahoma state House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, in November — but given the state’s red tilt, Mazzei is all but assured to win the governor’s mansion.

Mazzei entered the race in 2024 as an underdog compared to candidates such as Drummond, former state House Speaker Charles McCall and former Secretary of Public Safety Chip Keating. Compared to them, Mazzei had much less name recognition and a much smaller role in state politics.

However, after he spent millions of his own money and rose in the polls, he was endorsed by Trump just weeks before the initial June primary. This helped Mazzei advance to the runoff. That he’s won the nomination will give Trump a boost after a recent losing streak in gubernatorial primaries.

Stitt also chose to endorse Mazzei in the runoff. The governor’s relationship with Drummond grew toxic over their time in state politics.

Drummond and Stitt have publicly taken stabs at each other, including in court on tribal sovereignty and private charter schools receiving taxpayer funding.

This wasn’t always the case. At one point in their careers, the two had a good working relationship — both were wealthy men from the Tulsa area who ran in similar circles.

The relationship soured after Stitt picked John O’Connor over Drummond to fill what was left of former Attorney General Mike Hunter’s term after he resigned in 2021. O’Connor lost to Drummond two years later.

The animosity led to Stitt and much of his political team working to ensure Drummond didn’t become governor. While Stitt waited until the runoff lineup was set to endorse in the race, many of his staffers worked for other candidates in the primary.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/technology/ai-kevin-stitt-oklahoma-legislature Adora Brown Gov. Kevin Stitt wants state lawmakers to address artificial intelligence use in campaign ads. Mon, 08 Jun 2026 19:30:11 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/technology/ai-kevin-stitt-oklahoma-legislature Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is considering calling a special legislative session to address the use of artificial intelligence in campaign advertisements.

Oklahoma is one of many states that has yet to regulate the use of generative AI, and the continued push for regulation from the governor reflects a growing concern across the country about how AI could affect the midterms. Stitt spoke to CNN on Monday about issues specific to the governor’s race in his state, like attack ads that could confuse voters about what positions certain candidates back.

“When I started seeing some AI-generated ads politically attacking people, putting them in different situations with people, I just thought, listen, we need to make sure that the voters have accurate information and the truth still matters in Oklahoma,” Stitt, who is not running for reelection, told the outlet. “And we need transparency. We want to make sure that the voters aren‘t confused about what they‘re seeing.”

AI has become increasingly present in campaigns, and has even become a regular tool used by President Donald Trump to criticize his opponents.

Stitt first said he would call this legislative session after the Make Oklahoma Great Again PAC created an AI-generated campaign ad in May that made it seem like a Republican gubernatorial candidate, Mike Mazzei, was pictured hugging Hillary Clinton. Mazzei is the Trump-endorsed candidate in the race.

In a post on X, Stitt referred to the attack as “dishonest, swamp-style politics.”

It’s not clear yet when a special election would be called, but in a statement to NOTUS, Stitt’s office emphasized his desire to address the issue.

“He has been clear that if deceptive AI‑generated campaign content continues in Oklahoma, he will seriously consider bringing lawmakers back to address it,” Tevis Hillis, press secretary for Stitt, said. “Governor Stitt believes Oklahomans deserve the truth in their elections, not computer‑generated smears designed to mislead voters.”

The governor’s race in Oklahoma to replace Stitt is one of the state’s most high-profile contests this primary season. Mazzei is running against several candidates who have already held state-level office, including current Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former public safety officer Chip Keating and the former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Charles McCall.

Stitt said on CNN that his priority is creating a system of disclosure or disclaimer. He said that when AI is used in advertisements, voters should be aware that what they’re viewing is not authentic.

On Friday, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission met to discuss how to handle deepfakes and AI use in campaign materials. The committee plans to work with state lawmakers to determine how to enforce these rules, according to the Oklahoma Voice.

Stitt’s comments on Monday show his continued interest in addressing AI, especially given that the state Legislature adjourned nearly two weeks early in May.

“I really believe that the voters need confidence that when they go to the ballot box, let’s really have a debate about ideas and what direction you want to take the state or the country or your city in,” Stitt said on CNN. “Your imagination can run wild with you. And we want to make sure that that doesn’t happen in our political elections here in Oklahoma.”

Oklahomans will cast their ballots in the primary elections on June 16.
]]> https://washingtonsun.com/energy/oklahoma-kevin-stitt-alan-armstrong-permitting-reform Anna Kramer, Al Weaver Gov. Kevin Stitt told NOTUS that he picked Armstrong after talking with Majority Leader John Thune about what it would take to finally accomplish permitting reform. Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:46:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/energy/oklahoma-kevin-stitt-alan-armstrong-permitting-reform Given the chance to crown a new senator, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt chose a little-known businessman with no political history.

Why? He thought it was his best shot at accelerating major energy and infrastructure projects, Stitt told NOTUS.

Stitt picked Alan Armstrong to fill Markwayne Mullin’s Senate seat after talking to Majority Leader John Thune about what it would take to get the intractable problem of permitting reform across the finish line in Congress.

“I’m going to send you an expert on this,” he said he told Thune, describing Armstrong as a “non-political appointee.”

Before coming to the Senate in March, Armstrong was the CEO of Williams Companies, which operates tens of thousands of miles of natural gas pipelines. His company has a history of lobbying Congress and the White House on comprehensive permitting reform, citing significant roadblocks to getting major projects underway.

“This guy can work with moderate Democrats. He should be able to help the senators get this done,” Stitt said.

The Oklahoma governor really wants a deal this year, and he’s optimistic that it could happen.

But it’s not clear that Stitt’s machinations can accelerate delicate negotiations, now increasingly frayed because of President Donald Trump’s hostility toward renewable energy.

The key players in the negotiations in the Senate — Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito and Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse and Martin Heinrich — all described Armstrong as a reasonable figure, but none endorsed Stitt’s pitch that his presence significantly alters the stakes.

“He’s interested, and I referred him to Chairman Capito, because I have a good relationship with her, and I think he should talk to her,” Whitehouse said. Capito and Whitehouse are the chair and ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

When asked how helpful Armstrong could be, Whitehouse said: “Entirely up to Chairman Capito.”

Capito was measured about Armstrong’s role.

“We’ve had a lot of things in motion. Both the committee, we had a hearing in January that was very bipartisan, we’ve been working with the coalitions, we’ve worked with the House, the White House — and certainly Sen. Armstrong adds a lot of firsthand knowledge, so that’s good,” she said.

Across the country, businesses large and small — from artificial intelligence to clean energy to Main Street — are united that the nation is in dire need of relief from arduous permitting processes. Permitting gets the blame for creating decades-long timelines to build all sorts of new infrastructure like transmission lines, roads, bridges, pipelines, mines and factories.

At a bipartisan gathering of governors in Philadelphia last week, Stitt and Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro were in lockstep on their agreement that permitting reform needs to happen fast. So too were the governors of West Virginia, New Jersey and Delaware, all of whom spent time last Thursday marveling at the depths of their own agreements with each other on the issue.

Despite that bipartisan consensus, Congress has been unable to reach an agreement. And since Trump took office for his second term, he has only made the already-fragile negotiations more challenging.

Trump’s animus toward wind power specifically and renewable energy more broadly was well-known. What surprised members of Congress and state leaders alike was how Interior Secretary Doug Burgum acted on Trump’s dislike: The administration has canceled, slowed and stymied federal permits for renewables, especially offshore wind power.

In December, the Interior Department paused construction on five offshore wind projects, including one that was just months away from delivering power to Virginia’s electric grid for the first time. Those projects were ultimately restored through the courts.

Republicans had decried the Biden administration’s revocation of a key federal permit for the Keystone Pipeline. Now, Trump has been trying to do a similar rug-pull with offshore wind companies.

“I even call out my own side, because we’re doing the same thing,” Stitt told NOTUS.

Whitehouse and Heinrich walked away from permitting reform negotiations after Trump attempted to cancel the offshore wind projects.

“There was a deal to be had that would have taken politics out of permitting,” the two senators said in a statement at the time. “But any deal would have to be administered by the Trump Administration. Its reckless and vindictive assault on wind energy doesn’t just undermine one of our cheapest, cleanest power sources, it wrecks the trust needed with the executive branch for bipartisan permitting reform.”

Heinrich and Whitehouse returned to the table in early March after judges struck down the stop-work orders from Interior and the Trump administration began to signal that it might ease up on stonewalling renewables.

That’s part of the reason Stitt thinks Armstrong can make a difference.

“So now, everybody’s at the table, and that’s why I think we can get it done,” Stitt said.

“I know that Shapiro wants it. I know that the governors want it. So boom, get it done.”

The key senators aren’t expressing quite the same level of confidence. “I would certainly like to see us get to yes,” Heinrich said to NOTUS.

As for Armstrong? “I’m looking forward to sitting down with him,” Heinrich said. “I think I just got a request recently. I just met him, but he seems like an even-keeled sort of fellow, so that can’t hurt.”]]> https://washingtonsun.com/senate/kevin-stitt-alan-armstrong-trump-meeting-markwayne-mullin Reese Gorman Stitt wants oil and gas executive Alan Armstrong to replace Markwayne Mullin in the Senate. Sun, 22 Mar 2026 02:23:10 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/senate/kevin-stitt-alan-armstrong-trump-meeting-markwayne-mullin Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has chosen Alan Armstrong, an oil and gas executive, to finish out the remainder of Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s term, three sources told NOTUS.

The two men are expected to meet with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to iron out the details of the appointment and discuss it further, two of the sources said.

The sources cautioned that the pick could change following that meeting.

In March 2021, Armstrong gave $5,800 to former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who voted to impeach Trump, according to FEC records. Sources said the donations are likely to be a topic of conversation at Mar-a-Lago.

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Armstrong, who chairs the board of directors for the energy company Williams, was one of three main names Stitt presented in meetings he had in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. While multiple names were floated, Stitt was focused on three people: his senior adviser Dustin Hilliary, oil baron Harold Hamm and Armstrong.

Stitt is expected to announce the appointment shortly after Mullin is officially confirmed by the Senate as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, as early as Sunday.

Representatives for Armstrong and Stitt did not return a request for comment. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

In accordance with Oklahoma law, Armstrong will be required to sign a sworn affidavit saying he will not seek election to a full six-year Senate term and instead will only serve out the remainder of Mullin’s current term.

Rep. Kevin Hern has already essentially cleared the field in the race for the Senate seat.

This article has been updated with additional information.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/markwayne-mullin-fema-confirmation-rethink Torrence Banks Under her tenure as secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem was criticized for how she ran FEMA. Lawmakers from both parties want to see change. Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:13:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/trump-white-house/markwayne-mullin-fema-confirmation-rethink Lawmakers are looking at Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be the new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security as an opportunity to make the Federal Emergency Management Agency more efficient.

Mullin, who is slated to testify at a confirmation hearing Wednesday and who the Trump administration is pushing to have in the role by the end of the month, will face senators from both parties who have long been frustrated with the way FEMA has functioned, particularly under the second Trump administration.

“I have a lot of issues with FEMA,” Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri who serves on the Senate’s homeland security committee, told NOTUS. “That agency, in my experience just in my state, consistently is slow to get on the ground. They are slow to approve individual assistance. They're terrible at communicating with citizens and victims who have been affected. And all of that needs to change.”

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Under her tenure as DHS secretary, Kristi Noem faced backlash for implementing a rule requiring all expenses $100,000 or above at FEMA to be personally approved by her. The rule frustrated lawmakers and employees, creating delays for hazard-mitigation grants, COVID-19 reimbursements for hospitals and disaster unemployment assistance.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that he was removing Noem from her position. But that wasn’t until after a searing set of hearings on Capitol Hill, including one in which Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, ripped into Noem for her “failure” to lead the department and for delays in disaster aid to his state.

"Part of what we’re talking about is FEMA — getting a leader there, let that organization run itself and not repeat the mistake of Noem by tinkering in something she knew nothing about,” Tillis told NOTUS. “Markwayne is smart enough to know he knows what he doesn't know."

FEMA employees said Noem’s expense policy created delays in disaster aid to states. Some of the highest profile examples include the deadly Texas floods last summer and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene.

Sen. Ted Budd, another Republican from North Carolina, told NOTUS that he hoped Mullin would be able to facilitate “quicker aid to western North Carolina.”

“We'll have those discussions as soon as he's confirmed,” Budd added.

The White House did not answer questions about how Mullin would run FEMA. But he’s widely expected to be confirmed into the role.

“Senator Mullin is perfectly suited to lead the Department of Homeland Security and work closely with President Trump to continue building on his many successes,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “Whether it be protecting the homeland from bad actors, stopping dangerous drugs from flowing into American communities, or removing the worst-of-the-worst criminal illegal aliens, Senator Mullin will work tirelessly to implement the President’s agenda.”

Under Noem, FEMA underwent changes to how it handled disaster response more widely. In May, FEMA ended its door-to-door canvassing for survivors in disaster-prone areas. Noem also attempted to terminate FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, which decreases the risk of natural disasters. And FEMA employees said the additional red tape at the agency decreased morale.   

“If Markwayne Mullin gets approved and he is in this role, [I hope] that he meets with all the governors, pays attention to the hurricane-prone states,” one former FEMA official, who served during the Biden administration, told NOTUS. “We're also in active tornado season right now. And the fact that there were stopgaps and from delivering aid, I would hope that he would look at this from a different light and say, ‘I've got a lot of cleaning up to do following Kristi Noem’s tenure.’”

There's a concern among Democrats that even if they're able to convince Mullin to work with them, it won't matter in the grander scheme of an administration that wants to pare back the role of the federal government. Still, they hoped that he'd be an advocate, especially considering that his home state of Oklahoma, which is prone to tornadoes, has received millions in disaster aid in recent years.

“Work with us,” Sen. Andy Kim said. “If he wants to engage on FEMA, there's opportunities for discussions.”

Ahead of Noem’s firing, Pablo José Hernández, a nonvoting member of the House from Puerto Rico, introduced legislation to remove Noem’s policy on approving disaster aid reimbursements that totalled $100,000 or more. Hernández told NOTUS that Puerto Rico’s relationship with FEMA had improved since 2017, but the region is still awaiting funding from hurricanes Irma and Maria and other disasters.

“I wouldn't say I'm confident. But I would say that I'm optimistic because this is a bipartisan challenge. You have mayors that are Democrats and Republicans complaining about this,” Hernández said last week about whether he thinks change is possible at FEMA after Noem’s ousting. “Noem has such a poor performance that any change can make us slightly more optimistic than before.”

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat from Georgia, told NOTUS that reform at FEMA is one of the things he wants to talk to Mullin about ahead of the chamber-wide confirmation vote.

“The Trump administration has dragged its feet on a number of FEMA priorities. I've had to advocate time and time again for my state just to deliver resources that have already been approved and legislated by the Congress,” Warnock said. “And that's one of the things in Congress ought to be bipartisan — commitment to making sure that it's as efficient as possible.”
]]> https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/oklahoma-congress-money-investments-stocks Amelia Benavides-Colón, Adora Brown The Republican lawmakers have largely witnessed their wealth grow while in Washington. Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/capitol-gains/oklahoma-congress-money-investments-stocks The Oklahoma congressional delegation’s wealth lies not so much in stocks and bonds as it does in real estate and personal business interests that range from consulting firms to agriculture to McDonald’s franchises.

A NOTUS analysis of the Oklahoma delegation’s most recent annual financial disclosures reveals key details about how the state’s seven lawmakers manage their personal finances while serving the public.

Many of these lawmakers entered office with millions and remain significantly wealthier than most of their constituents.

Rep. Kevin Hern entered office with a median net worth of more than $61 million, according to his 2018 financial disclosure. Since then, his median net worth has grown to $110 million, with only two liabilities: credit cards with recurring balances of $15,001 to $50,000.
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/G0Aia/1/Of the tens of millions of dollars Hern brought to Congress, much of it stemmed from McDonald’s restaurants; Hern, a Republican, served for 13 years on the McDonald’s National Leadership Council and owned two dozen franchise locations.

On his 2018 financial disclosure, Hern reported the trust that “Operates 10 McDonald’s” was worth $25 million to $50 million and provided an annual income of $1 million to $5 million. “Administrative management of 10 McDonald's restaurants” was valued at an additional $500,001 to $1 million.

The lawmaker also reported seven separate loans on McDonald’s restaurants acquired from 2016 to 2018. Three of the restaurant loans were valued $100,001 to $250,000, one was valued $250,001 to $500,000, another $50,001 to $100,000 and the final two were valued $500,001 to $1 million.

As of 2024, Hern no longer reported any outstanding McDonald’s-related liabilities, and his only reported assets tied to the fast-food chain are $101,002 to $265,000 in McDonald’s Corporation stock. (Hern did disclose up to $100,000 worth of credit card debt.)

Hern has also in the past failed to properly disclose personal stock and corporate security trades, per the requirements of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act. Hern is now running for the Senate, with President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Within the state, several Oklahoma representatives entered office with significant wealth tied to business ownership.

Oklahoma’s senior Republican House member, Rep. Tom Cole, reported a median net worth of nearly $3.2 million in 2008. A significant portion of his wealth was made up of his partnership in the political campaign consulting company “Cole, Hargrave, Snodgrass and Associates,” which he co-founded before first running for elected office in 1989.
Tom Cole AP - 25252599848968 (4394x2929, AR: 1.50)By 2024, Cole’s median net worth had grown to $9.4 million. Cole’s properties, a personal residence and 10 acres of land co-owned with his brother, both increased in value since he entered office. Additionally, the lawmaker owns a host of various oil and energy stocks.

Delaney Marsco, director of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit focused on money in politics, told NOTUS it’s not uncommon for a candidate for office to bring some wealth to the table.

“More often than not, these very wealthy lawmakers are wealthy when they get into Congress, and that’s because it’s very expensive to run for office,” Marsco said. Every year, members of Congress are required in annual financial reports to disclose the values of each of their assets and liabilities in broad ranges, like from $15,001 to 50,000. The ranges get bigger the larger the assets or liabilities get. The biggest value range they can report is open-ended — $50 million or more. There are also assets a lawmaker doesn’t have to report, such as their primary residence.

Still, disclosures offer a window into how Oklahoma’s lawmakers are making their money. As Congress debates whether lawmakers should be allowed to own individual stocks, the financial disclosures of the Oklahoma lawmakers with the highest median net worths indicate that the stock market does play a significant, if not all-encompassing, role in their personal wealth.

NOTUS calculated the median net worth of each lawmaker by first finding each member’s minimum net worth — the sum of the minimum value of all assets minus the sum of the maximum value of all their liabilities — and their maximum net worth — maximum asset value minus minimum liabilities. NOTUS then calculated the median between the minimum and maximum net worths.

Lawmakers filed their most recent financial disclosures in 2025, and they detail the lawmakers’ finances in 2024.

Unlike annual financial reports, lawmakers must report most individual stock, bond and cryptocurrency trades within 30 to 45 days of the trade, per the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act.

Several of Oklahoma’s lawmakers have significant investments in the state’s agricultural industry, which boasts more than 70,000 farms, according to the 2022 U.S. Census of Agriculture.

In 2008, Rep. Frank Lucas reported a median net worth of just over $1 million, including a mortgage on more than 500 acres of farmland valued from $100,001 to $250,000, two tractor notes worth $25,002 to $65,000 and a farm operating loan note and four revolving lines of credit each worth $15,001 to $50,000.

Sixteen years later, in 2024, Lucas’ median net worth had grown to $2.6 million. Following the death of his mother in 2020, the congressman acquired hundreds of acres of farmland that are being drilled for oil and gas royalties, according to his disclosure.

Oklahoma’s junior U.S. senator, Republican Markwayne Mullin, had a median net worth of $5.9 million when he joined the House in 2012, according to NOTUS’ analysis of congressional financial records. Much of his wealth is tied to various personal businesses, including Mullin Farms, Mullin Plumbing, Mullin Services, Mullin Properties and Mullin Environmental.

By 2024, Mullin’s median net worth had grown to $45 million.
Cattle.Cows (2312x1854, AR: 1.25)During his time in Congress, Mullin’s family cattle ranch has grown in value from less than $50,000 to somewhere from $1 million to $5 million. Meanwhile, “Mullin Properties LLC,” which was valued from $1 million to $5 million in 2012, now includes at least 14 different investment properties worth $3 million to $12 million combined.

Mullin joined Congress with no reported liabilities. But that’s changed of late: In 2022, he took out a 15-year joint mortgage for $1 million to $5 million, and in 2024, he opened a revolving line of credit valued from $5 million to $25 million.

Mullin was cited for violating the STOCK Act twice so far this year for failing to properly disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock and bond trades, NOTUS reported.

In July, Mullin was more than two years late to disclose seven stock purchases by his wife, each worth about $1,000, and was over a year late in disclosing three personal purchases of municipal security stock worth at least $315,000. And just a few weeks later, he violated the STOCK Act again when he was months late disclosing three stock and bond transactions worth at least $1.4 million.

A spokesperson for Mullin, who Trump this month nominated to become secretary of Homeland Security, told NOTUS the senator “uses independent, third-party operator firms” for his investments, adding, “He does not conduct nor inform individual trades. His financial reports are filed bi-weekly with Senate Ethics to ensure compliance with all federal laws.”

Since Trump nominated Mullin, his wealth has come under even greater scrutiny, including in an investigation by the New York Times.
James Lankford AP-24036715127294 (4763x3175, AR: 1.50)The relatively modest wealth of Oklahoma’s senior senator, Republican James Lankford, lies primarily in stock ownership. Lankford entered the House in 2010 with a median net worth of about $217,500. Since then, his median net worth has grown to about $758,500, mainly through the trading of various stocks, according to his 2024 Senate financial disclosure.

The delegation’s newest member, Republican Rep. Josh Brecheen, had a median net worth of about $240,000 when he joined Congress in 2022, according to NOTUS’ analysis. Brecheen’s small portfolio of assets included livestock, land, a commercial trucking business and a state pension plan worth an undetermined amount.

Brecheen owned and operated a trucking company for four years before running for Congress.

The business only appears on his first congressional financial disclosure, with a value of $15,000 to $50,000, in addition to a reported annual income of $100,001 to $1 million.

Lawmakers are not required to report the sale of personal businesses the way they are for stocks, and the trucking business does not appear on any of Brecheen’s consequent disclosures.

When asked about this disclosure, Breechen told NOTUS he shut down and sold all of his shares of the trucking company shortly before assuming his role in D.C. He had no additional comment on the matter.

By 2024, his median net worth fell to about $207,500. Brecheen still claims farmland and cattle as his assets, with no evidence of stock trading.
Stephanie Bice AP - 25206586911740 (6869x4579, AR: 1.50)Rep. Stephanie Bice, who is among Oklahoma’s newest delegation members, has grown her median net worth from $582,000 before entering Congress in 2020 to about $986,000 in 2024. Bice’s financial interests lie in stock investments and includes the debts of two personal mortgage loans.

For lawmakers, stock trading has become a way to gain personal wealth outside of their congressional salary or representational allowance. Many government reform organizations, including the Campaign Legal Center, argue for more reform on congressional stock trading.

“We see that a lot of members of Congress do seem to actively trade individual stocks while they’re in Congress,” Marsco said. Their investment in the market, she says, “suggests that they are really cognizant of how the climate of the country and their work affects their own personal financial interest.”]]> https://washingtonsun.com/immigration/dhs-warehouse-detention-markwayne-mullin-nomination Manuela Silva Secretary Kristi Noem began turning warehouses into detention centers. Lawmakers from both parties want Trump’s nominee to lead DHS, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, to rethink that. Mon, 16 Mar 2026 09:13:00 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/immigration/dhs-warehouse-detention-markwayne-mullin-nomination Senators from both parties are hoping that the Department of Homeland Security’s approach to acquiring and converting warehouses into large-scale detention centers will change under new leadership.

As Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma begins this week the nomination process to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary, he’ll face questions about how he would approach enacting President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. And the proliferation of warehouses-turned-detention centers across the country has caused concern among officials from both parties, at times prompting them to step in.

“I’m looking for a more deliberative process that works with state and local governments to look at opportunities,” Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said of DHS’s purchase of warehouses for use as detention centers.

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The Republican senator successfully convinced Noem to reverse course on a planned site in his state, which had been slated to hold 8,500 beds. That’s part of a broader pattern of Republican leaders pushing back on plans to convert warehouses into detention centers, where they’ve had mixed success. Facing backlash over lack of transparency, little community input, and possible environmental impact, some Republican lawmakers have found themselves caught between their push for mass deportations and the reality of their home states.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina and a critic of Noem, told NOTUS that when it comes to the warehouse plan, he hopes that Mullin reviews how the department pays for facilities. DHS has been paying high premiums for the warehouses, often much higher than the facilities’ appraisal values.

“I don’t know if you’ve seen some of the premiums that were being paid [for the warehouses],” Tillis said. “He’s got to review that.”

Mullin, who on March 5 was announced by Trump as Noem’s replacement, is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday for his confirmation hearing. The White House is hoping to have him confirmed by the end of the month.

And senators clearly have the planned warehouses in their states on their minds as they head into next week's hearing.

"I'm going to ask about a number of things ICE is doing [at the nomination hearing],” Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, a member on the committee with a warehouse planned in his state, said when asked if he plans to inquire about their development. “I just had a meeting with ICE about the warehouse. What they told me was even more alarming than what I expected."

Kim and Sen. Cory Booker, along with the rest of the Democrats in New Jersey’s congressional delegation, have been advocating for DHS to cancel its plans for the Roxbury, New Jersey, warehouse detention center since initial reports about the DHS purchase.

Asked about what he hoped Mullin’s nomination could mean for the warehouse plan, Booker said that he hopes Mullin “understands the local community doesn’t want it.”

“It’d be a massive drain on the resources of the town,” Booker said. “It would be disruptive, it would undermine emergency services in the town and more, and I'm hoping that he will look at it with fresh eyes and realize that should not go through. I'm gonna do everything I can to stop it.”

The plan to convert warehouses into detention centers has been a key part of a larger plan to overhaul the country's immigrant detention system into one where immigrants are held in smaller warehouse-processing centers before being transferred into larger warehouse-detention centers, with a goal of expediting the Trump administration’s mass-deportation campaign. DHS, which has been shut down for more than a month, received $45 billion under last summer's reconciliation package to expand immigrant detention centers.

Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates have pushed back on the plans, which are often shrouded in secrecy, for months. They argue that in addition to their concerns over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s treatment of detainees, the warehouses could place an undue strain on local community resources and emergency services.

When asked if the plan for the warehouse conversions would look different with Mullin at the helm of DHS, a White House official wrote in a statement, “The Administration has no DHS related policy announcements to make at this time.”

“We look forward to working with the Senate on the speedy confirmation of Senator Mullin and then continuing to implement the President’s agenda in the most efficient and effective way possible,” the statement continued.

Mullin has been a key Trump ally in the Senate, and he has repeatedly pledged his support for the administration’s mass-deportation campaign. Known as the Senate’s “House whisperer,” Mullin has cultivated relationships across Washington, from the White House to both chambers of Congress.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the only Democrat who has publicly said he would vote to confirm Mullin, previously expressed concern over the warehouse conversion plans in his state. In January, he wrote a letter to Noem expressing his frustrations with the plans for two detention centers in Pennsylvania. Last week, he told NOTUS that he would vote for Mullin anyway.

“I don’t support those things,” Fetterman said of the warehouses. “That’s not an appropriate use for those. So I’m going to vote for him because that’s about having a relationship to have that conversation.”

When pressed on whether he planned to ask about Mullin’s approach to warehouses, Fetterman did not answer, saying he “is going to vote for the dude — he's a great upgrade.” He said they spoke in his office on Wednesday.

Republicans have largely welcomed the leadership change at DHS. When asked about what they hoped the warehouse-detention-center plan would look like under Mullin, some waved away the question.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, whose state has some of the largest warehouse detention centers in the country, pivoted to speaking about the importance of immigration enforcement when asked about the warehouses.

“Well, I think more than that, it’s just the priorities in terms of immigration enforcement, that would be my thrust,” Cornyn told NOTUS. “But I’m not on the committee [considering Mullin’s nomination].”

Mullin is no stranger to the warehouse-detention-center plan. In his home state of Oklahoma, plans to use a warehouse as a detention center sparked so much community pushback that the property owners ended talks with the federal government.

“We lease a lot of those spaces, and it's better for us to own that space and not have to lease it year after year after year,” said Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “It's better for the taxpayer, and so I would assume Markwayne would look at it the same way and try to figure out what’s best for the taxpayer.”

“We are going to continue to have deportations for a long time in America,” Lankford continued. “So to just lease facilities may make sense in some places and may not make sense [in other places].”
]]> https://washingtonsun.com/money/kevin-hern-oklahoma-stock-act-trading-congress Adora Brown A House Ethics Committee calculation tool indicates that at least $4.2 million worth of the Oklahoma congressman’s personal stock trades were made a few days past a federal deadline. Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:13:52 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/money/kevin-hern-oklahoma-stock-act-trading-congress Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican from Oklahoma, appears to have failed to properly disclose millions of dollars worth of stock and corporate-security trades during the past year, which would be a violation of a federal transparency law, according to a NOTUS analysis of congressional financial records.

Since early 2025, Hern appears to have been late disclosing at least $4.2 million, and at the most, $17.6 million, in stock and corporate-security trades, according to his financial trade disclosure reports and the use of the House Ethics Committee’s online calculator for determining when a lawmaker, by law, must publicly disclose a personal financial trade.

Hern appears to have ultimately disclosed his personal stock and corporate-security trades as required by federal law. But he was anywhere from two to 12 days late across 10 trades based on when he disclosed becoming aware of trades made on his behalf. He meanwhile disclosed other trades on time, per federal rules.

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In a statement to NOTUS, Hern’s office said, “The filings aren’t late.”

Numerous federal lawmakers have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act’s disclosure provisions in recent months, including Sens. Markwayne Mullin and Katie Britt and Reps. Linda Sánchez of California, Julia Letlow of Louisiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Lisa McClain of Michigan, Pat Ryan of New York, Sheri Biggs of South Carolina, Donald Norcross of New Jersey, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Ritchie Torres of New York, Troy Nehls of Texas, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, George Whitesides of California, Val Hoyle of Oregon, Austin Scott of Georgia, Shri Thanedar of Michigan and Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Scott Franklin of Florida.

President Donald Trump also violated the STOCK Act’s disclosure provisions, too, this year, and paid an unspecified fine, according to the nonprofit newsroom Sludge.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Trump nominated Mullin to replace Kristi Noem as secretary of homeland security, which prompted Hern to confirm his interest in Mullin’s Senate seat.

“Oh, absolutely,” Hern told NOTUS on Thursday when asked if he was considering a run for the Senate.

There are two related disclosure deadlines for federal lawmakers who personally trade stocks.

The STOCK Act first states that members of Congress must disclose stock, bond, corporate-security, cryptocurrency and certain other financial transactions worth more than $1,000 within 30 days of being notified of the transaction — either because the lawmaker personally made the trade or because someone else, such as a lawmaker’s spouse or financial adviser, alerted them to a trade being made on their behalf.

Secondly, lawmakers are ultimately responsible for disclosing their trades no more than 45 days after a transaction, regardless of when they became aware of their trades.

A report “must be filed by the earlier of these two dates: (a) 30 days from being made aware of the transaction or (b) 45 days from the transaction. In other words, periodic transaction reporting is subject to two different deadlines depending on when or if you receive notification,” the House Ethics Committee states in a guidance memorandum to House members.

In one instance, Hern disclosed purchasing $250,001 to $500,000 worth of corporate securities in the Royal Bank of Canada on Jan. 7, and affirmed in a signed congressional disclosure that he was notified of the purchase on Jan. 8. But he did not file that disclosure until Feb. 18, more than a week after the STOCK Act’s 30-day requirement for making such a disclosure.

Similarly, Hern disclosed selling a Citigroup corporate security worth anywhere from $500,001 to $1 million on Dec. 3, 2024. He affirmed to Congress that he was notified of the trade on Dec. 4, 2024. He then made his disclosure on Jan. 15, 2025 — days after Congress’ 30-day disclosure requirement for such a situation.

Whether federal lawmakers personally make trades or not, lawmakers are also themselves responsible for filing these reports on time, according to House Ethics guidance.

“You are personally responsible for incomplete and inaccurate information contained in your [financial reports], regardless of who assisted in preparation,” according to the House Ethics Committee.

“Congressman Hern files his [disclosure reports] no later than 30 days after receiving notification from his financial advisor, and in compliance with the 45-day transaction activity requirement,” a spokesperson for Hern’s office told NOTUS in a statement. “It is well documented that Congressman Hern has no involvement in the purchasing or selling of stocks, nor in the preparation of reports for the Public Transaction Report (PTR) system.”

Hern’s office did not respond to a request for comment on what documentation exists that shows the congressman has no involvement in his own stock trades.

Tom Rust, the staff director and chief counsel of the House Ethics Committee, declined to comment on Hern’s stock disclosures.

Congress passed the STOCK Act, in an effort to stop insider trading and defend against financial conflicts of interest, particularly because of the information members are privy to in Congress.

Hern serves on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, a jurisdiction that includes “health care, health delivery systems, or health research.”

Hern himself owns a handful of health-care and medical-technology stocks, including Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth, Masimo Corporation and Boston Scientific.

“It's a conflict of interest that, if they were in a different branch of government, would require their recusal from weighing in on matters that have a direct impact on those interests,” Donald Sherman, the president and CEO of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told NOTUS.

At present, it’s not illegal for members of Congress to trade individual stocks, including those of companies in industries for which their committees have oversight responsibilities.

But Congress is actively considering legislation that would bar members and their immediate family members from trading stock at all.

One of these bills, the House Speaker Mike Johnson-backed Stop Insider Trading Act, received the president’s endorsement at this year’s State of the Union address.

The bill would bar members and their families from buying individual stocks from publicly traded companies and would require at least a seven-day notice before stocks are sold.

Critics of the Stop Insider Trading Act, including many Democrats, argue it doesn’t go far enough.

An alternative, bipartisan bill, the Restore Trust in Congress Act, would prevent members and their families from buying or selling individual stocks, force them to divest current stock holdings and enforce steeper fines for breaking the law. Yet another bill, the Democrat-backed Restore Trust in Government Act, would extend restrictions beyond Congress to the executive branch.

“When you see a member of Congress who owns stock that is under the jurisdiction of their committee, know that the public is going to question that the decisions that they make on that committee are intended to protect their own stock portfolio or the interest of their constituents,” Kedric Payne, the vice president and senior director for ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, told NOTUS.

“The Democratic version is designed not to pass by covering Trump and the presidency,” said Craig Holman, a government-affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen. “Johnson's bill is just in name only and is a pathetic effort to appear to capture a problem when it entirely sidesteps the problem.”

This is not the first time that Hern has found himself crosswise with the STOCK Act in his seven years in Congress.

In 2021, Hern failed to properly disclose as much as $2.7 million worth of stock trades, according to Business Insider.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/senate/harold-hamm-markwayne-mullin-senate-appointment-ask Reese Gorman, Em Luetkemeyer Hamm is one of the wealthiest people in America and a Trump ally. He also called the White House about the job. Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:18:20 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/senate/harold-hamm-markwayne-mullin-senate-appointment-ask Oil and gas magnate Harold Hamm, one of the wealthiest people in America and a major Republican donor, called Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday night, asking for the appointment to Oklahoma’s newly open Senate seat.

Additionally, Hamm called the White House to express interest in the job as well, according to two sources.

The governor is mulling multiple options, but according to three sources familiar with the matter, Hamm called Stitt to express his interest in the seat.

Hamm, the founder and chairman of Continental Resources, has been a longtime Stitt supporter and was considered President Donald Trump’s top energy whisperer during his first term. He also recently donated to Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom project.

A spokesperson for Stitt did not respond to a request for comment. A senior aide to Hamm and a Continental Resources spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump announced Thursday he wants to replace Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin.

According to Oklahoma law, whoever is appointed to the position would have to sign an affidavit saying they wouldn’t run for a full term. Then, in the next general election, Oklahoma voters will choose a new senator. Many Republicans have been floated to take Mullin’s position in the interim, including his longtime adviser Donelle Harder, Oklahoma businessman Dustin Hilliary, former Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor, Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell and former Trump administration official Alex Gray.

Reps. Kevin Hern and Stephanie Bice have already said they’re considering Senate bids, with Hern set to announce something next week.

This story has been updated with information that Hamm called the White House.]]> https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/oklahoma-republicans-markwayne-mullin-senate-seat Reese Gorman, Em Luetkemeyer, Helen Huiskes Mullin’s likely move to the Department of Homeland Security is setting off a scramble for his seat. Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:41:48 GMT https://washingtonsun.com/2026-election/oklahoma-republicans-markwayne-mullin-senate-seat President Donald Trump’s move Thursday to nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin to run the Department of Homeland Security set off an immediate sprint for the soon-to-be-open Oklahoma Senate seat.

Rep. Kevin Hern will soon launch a bid for Senate, a source familiar with the matter told NOTUS.

“Oh, absolutely,” Hern said when NOTUS asked if he was considering a run for the Senate seat.

“Stay tuned for the announcement next week,” Hern said, but he wouldn’t say specifically whether that announcement was related to launching a Senate bid. “I’m always interested in where I do the best to help Oklahomans and this country,” he said.

Rep. Stephanie Bice is also considering a bid for Senate, a source familiar with the matter told NOTUS. Her office confirmed she’s looking at the possibility.

Rep. Tom Cole told reporters that he didn’t want to endorse anyone before they announced, but that Hern would be “an excellent choice.”

“He's my colleague. I sort of had him in mind as the next chairman of Ways and Means when Jason [Smith] is done. So he'll do a fabulous job with whatever he does,” Cole said.

“It’s a little premature for me to say anything until we see who the field is, but I don't have many closer friends than Kevin Hern, except maybe Stephanie Bice, so I’ve got to be pretty careful,” he said.

As for whether Cole is considering a run for Senate: “No,” he said. “Not at all.”

“No Senator Cole,” he added.

Rep. Frank Lucas was less declarative on whether or not he is interested in Mullin’s seat. “I would say probably, that I and my colleague, Mr. Cole, are the calmest members of the political group in Oklahoma, so you’d have to ask everybody else but us.”

When NOTUS followed up, Lucas said, “The answer should be that there are a number of very qualified people in the federal delegation and at home, who I suspect are very interested in that, and we should all watch and see how the field forms.”

“I think Markwayne will be an amazing secretary. 
I'm a little surprised that he was willing to do it,” Lucas later added.

Rep. Josh Brecheen wouldn’t say whether or not he was interested.

“I am so excited for Markwayne Mullin,” Brecheen told NOTUS. “I think everyone owes Markwayne a chance to be excited for him and understand how this is going to showcase Oklahoma leading the way for national security.”

Sen. James Lankford told reporters Thursday on Capitol Hill that Mullin would “do a great job” as DHS secretary and didn’t indicate any knowledge or endorsement of a clear successor.

“That I don't know yet,” Lankford said when asked who he thought should take the seat. “Yeah, we got a ways to go on that one, but it'll be quick.”

Under Oklahoma law, Gov. Kevin Stitt will appoint a successor to Mullin, but that successor must sign an affidavit promising not to run for the seat in November’s election.

Some names Republicans are floating as a possible temporary appointments to the position are Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, former state Secretary of Public Safety Chip Keating, former state Attorney General John O’Connell, longtime Stitt adviser Donelle Harder and Oklahoma businessman Dustin Hilliary.

This story has been updated with comment from members of Congress.]]>