Trump Told Lawmakers He’s Unhappy With Noem’s Congressional Testimony, Taps Sen. Markwayne Mullin as Replacement
Donald Trump announced Thursday that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will leave her position at the end of the month, marking the first Cabinet level departure of his second administration.
Trump said Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin will take over the Department of Homeland Security beginning March 31.
The president revealed the move in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
“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 role within the administration called “Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” which he described as leading a new security initiative across the Western Hemisphere.
The president added that Noem “has served us well.”
According to two people familiar with the conversation, Trump spoke with Noem Thursday afternoon about the transition while she was traveling outside Washington.
The announcement follows several days of growing tension between the White House and Noem after a series of contentious congressional hearings.
Congressional Testimony Appeared to Trigger the Decision
Noem’s future at the Department of Homeland Security had already been under scrutiny after her testimony before House and Senate committees earlier this week.
During the hearings, lawmakers questioned Noem about a multimillion dollar federal advertising campaign encouraging undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the United States.
The campaign, which has cost approximately $200 million, features Noem directly addressing migrants and urging them to self deport.
According to the ad tracking firm AdImpact, the Department of Homeland Security has spent nearly $80 million airing the advertisements since the start of 2025, not including production costs.
During her testimony Tuesday, Noem told senators that President Trump had approved the ad campaign.
That claim was quickly disputed by the White House.
“POTUS did not sign off on a $220 MILLION dollar ad campaign. Absolutely not,” a White House official told NBC News on Thursday.
Sources familiar with the situation said the discrepancy between Noem’s testimony and the White House’s position angered the president and contributed to his decision to replace her.
Lawmakers also pressed Noem on how the contracts for the campaign were awarded and whether the process limited competitive bidding.
The hearings quickly turned contentious as senators and representatives questioned both the cost of the program and the messaging strategy.
Immigration Enforcement Policies Sparked Political Backlash
Noem had been one of the most visible architects of Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies during his second term.
As homeland security secretary, she oversaw a nationwide campaign to expand deportations and tighten immigration enforcement at the southern border.
The policies were a central pillar of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and his administration’s immigration agenda.
But several recent enforcement actions drew criticism from lawmakers in both parties.
One of the most controversial operations occurred in Minneapolis, where federal immigration agents were deployed alongside thousands of federal personnel to conduct large scale immigration enforcement operations.
Critics said some of the tactics used during those operations were overly aggressive.
The situation escalated further after two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal agents during an enforcement incident.
During congressional hearings this week, lawmakers questioned Noem extensively about the deaths.
Noem had previously referred to the two individuals as “domestic terrorists,” a characterization that drew sharp criticism from lawmakers and civil rights advocates.
At the hearings, Noem declined to apologize for the statement, although she acknowledged that investigations into the deaths were ongoing.
The controversy intensified scrutiny of the Department of Homeland Security and Noem’s leadership.
DHS Funding Crisis Adds Pressure
The leadership change also comes at a complicated moment for the Department of Homeland Security.
The agency is currently operating under a partial shutdown after its funding expired in mid February.
The shutdown has now entered its third week.
The House is preparing to vote on legislation aimed at restoring funding to the department, which oversees several critical federal agencies including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and federal cybersecurity programs.
Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans have stalled over immigration policy provisions tied to the funding bill.
Democrats are pushing for new restrictions on federal immigration officers and expanded oversight of enforcement operations.
Republican lawmakers have largely resisted those proposals, arguing that the department must be fully funded to respond to national security threats, particularly as tensions rise in the Middle East amid the ongoing war with Iran.
The leadership transition could further complicate those negotiations.
Mullin Emerges as Trump’s Pick for DHS Secretary
Trump’s choice to lead the department next is Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
Mullin previously served for a decade in the U.S. House of Representatives before winning a special election to the Senate in 2023.
Before entering politics, Mullin worked in business and gained national attention earlier in his career as a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
Earlier Thursday, Mullin declined to confirm whether he had spoken with Trump about the position.
“I’ve spoken with the president recently,” Mullin told NBC News. “I just don’t want to talk about that right now. We’ll discuss it later.”
If confirmed, Mullin would take over one of the largest federal agencies in government, responsible for border enforcement, immigration policy, disaster response, and national security programs.
His nomination will require Senate confirmation.
Longstanding Friction Between Noem and the Administration
Although the congressional hearings appeared to accelerate the decision, tensions between Noem and the administration had been building for months.
Several Republican senators had already publicly criticized her leadership earlier this year.
In January, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska both called for Noem to step down.
Tillis told reporters at the time that he could not “think of any point of pride over the last year” of her leadership.
Noem also faced scrutiny over a proposed plan to purchase a $70 million luxury jet that she said would be converted for deportation flights.
The proposal sparked backlash from lawmakers and immigration advocates.
Last month, current and former Coast Guard officials told NBC News that tensions between Noem and leadership within the Coast Guard had also become strained.
First Cabinet Departure of Trump’s Second Term
Noem’s departure marks the first time a Cabinet member has exited the administration during Trump’s second term in office.
While other high profile officials have shifted roles, this is the first leadership change at the Cabinet level.
Last year, Mike Waltz stepped down from his Cabinet level position as national security adviser after Trump nominated him to become the United States ambassador to the United Nations.
Before joining the Trump administration, Noem served as governor of South Dakota.
Her tenure at the Department of Homeland Security was defined by aggressive immigration policies and frequent public appearances defending the administration’s approach to border enforcement.
Now, as the department faces a funding crisis and major policy battles in Congress, leadership of the agency is set to change hands.
