WASHINGTON, USA — President Donald Trump said on Thursday, March 5, 2026, that Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will replace Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, marking the first cabinet-level dismissal of Trump’s second term.
In a message posted on social media, Trump said Mullin would assume the role beginning March 31, 2026.
“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.
Trump said Noem would move into a new position as special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” which he described as a regional security initiative to be announced Saturday in Doral, Florida.
“The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland,’” Trump said.
Mullin Responds to Appointment
Speaking to reporters shortly after the announcement, Mullin said he was prepared to take on the role, though his nomination must still be confirmed by the Senate.
“My focus is to keep the homeland secure,” Mullin said.
Asked about succeeding Noem, Mullin described her as “a friend” who had been “tasked with a very difficult job.”
Responding to a question about lessons from Noem’s tenure, Mullin said “there’s an opportunity to build off successes, and there’s also opportunities to build off things that maybe didn’t go quite as planned.”
Funding Dispute Affects Department Operations
The leadership change comes as several components of the Department of Homeland Security remain closed during a funding dispute involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The impasse has affected agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard.
Democratic lawmakers have said they will only support funding for the department if changes are made to ICE following the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Reactions From Political Leaders
Some Democratic leaders welcomed the news of Noem’s departure.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a news conference, “Kristi Noem is gone. Good riddance,” adding that “a change in personnel is not sufficient” to reopen the department.
“We need a change in policy that has to be bold, dramatic, transformational and meaningful,” Jeffries said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on social media that “the problems at DHS go much deeper than any one person. They’ve got to rein in ICE and end the violence.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat who had clashed with Noem over immigration enforcement in the state, said, “Kristi Noem has done a stunning amount of damage and it’s good she’s gone.” Walz called for a “complete overhaul of DHS.”
Frustration Over Senate Testimony
Trump’s decision followed internal discussions about Noem’s performance, according to people familiar with the matter.
The president had expressed frustration with testimony Noem delivered during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier in the week, sources with direct knowledge of the conversations said.
During that hearing, Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, questioned Noem about a $220 million Department of Homeland Security advertising campaign funded by taxpayers. Noem indicated that Trump had been aware of and approved the initiative.
A senior administration official later said the president had not authorised the campaign.
“Absolutely not,” the official said.
Kennedy told reporters that Trump had called him about the exchange.
“I’m not going to speak for him. You folks know him. You can ask him yourselves, but his, I want to put it this way, his recollection and her recollection are different,” Kennedy said.
Additional Controversies
Officials in the administration and some Republicans on Capitol Hill had also raised concerns following other incidents involving Noem, according to sources.
Earlier in the week, Noem and her adviser Corey Lewandowski temporarily suspended the TSA PreCheck programme during the partial government shutdown. The decision was later reversed after intervention from the White House, according to people familiar with the situation.
Noem has also faced scrutiny over Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minneapolis following the deaths of Good and Pretti during actions carried out by federal law enforcement.
After the incident, she was removed from overseeing operations in the state, and Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar, was assigned to take over.
During congressional hearings this week, Noem declined to apologise for describing the conduct of Good and Pretti as “domestic terrorism” without presenting evidence.
Noem Responds to New Role
In a social media message on Thursday afternoon, Noem thanked Trump for appointing her to the new position.
“In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security,” she wrote.
