The Senate on Monday voted to confirm Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security, after he pitched himself as a change from Kristi Noem’s leadership style.
Mullin was confirmed 54-45, with Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico voting along with most Republicans to confirm Mullin.
The Trump administration is hoping that the new face of the embroiled department will make inroads with Democrats amid ongoing shutdown negotiations. In his confirmation process, Mullin tried to address Democrats’ concerns over the department’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, attempting to strike a softer tone than his predecessor.