The first confirmation hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who was named by President Donald Trump to run the Department of Homeland Security, is set for Wednesday, March 18.
"We're shooting for a week from Wednesday if all the paperwork comes in," Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chair Rand Paul, R-Ky., told reporters Monday.
Trump has said he hopes Mullin will be confirmed at the end of the month, and Republican leadership is trying to get him confirmed as quickly as possible.
Kristi Noem was removed as secretary of homeland security last Thursday, ending her tenure in the role.
Paul has yet to commit to voting for Mullin, who has the broad support of the Republican caucus, saying he will reserve judgment until the hearing.
Republicans can advance the nomination without help from Democrats, but Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has already said he would support Mullin.
Mullin previously called Paul a "freaking snake," according to Oklahoma journalist David Arnett, after Paul voted against various funding packages backed by Republicans.
"I respect [Vermont Sen.] Bernie Sanders because he's an open socialist, and you know that he's a communist, so you know what you're getting. Rand Paul's a freaking snake," Mullin said in front of a group of voters.
"Rand doesn't ever vote with [Republicans] when it comes to appropriation bills. I had to vote against it because if that would have passed, not only would it have killed the bill, but it would also have killed the farm bill which is tied to social programs," Mullin added. "If you change the ratio ... you must redo the entire farm bill."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.