{"id":39957,"date":"2026-03-27T10:54:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/dhs-secretary-mullin-sworn-in-no-one-is-going-to-out-work-me\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T10:54:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T15:54:12","slug":"dhs-secretary-mullin-sworn-in-no-one-is-going-to-out-work-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitedresourceconnection.org\/cannon-ball-nd-58528\/dhs-secretary-mullin-sworn-in-no-one-is-going-to-out-work-me\/","title":{"rendered":"DHS Secretary Mullin sworn in: \u2018No one is going to out-work me\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Attorney<\/a><\/p>\n

Attorney General Pam Bondi administers the oath during the swearing-in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was sworn in Tuesday afternoon, making him the first Native American to lead the department and the second Native person to lead a cabinet agency.<\/p>\n

After taking his hand off the Bible held by his wife, Christie, Mullin addressed the crowd in the Oval Office.<\/p>\n

\u201c \u2026 I\u2019ve made this very clear that I don\u2019t care what color your state is. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re red or you\u2019re blue. At the end of the day, my job is to be Secretary of Homeland and to protect everybody the same, and we will do that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll fight every single day.<\/p>\n

Mullin continued: \u201cToday I got the privilege of meeting so many of the employees at DHS. These employees have been there for 30 days without pay, and if you need anything to know their dedication to show up and still protect the homeland that you and I enjoy and the freedoms that we\u2019re experiencing, they\u2019re working for free because of political politics, that\u2019s all I need to know. I told them, as you\u2019re fighting 365 days, understand I\u2019ll be fighting 365 days besides you and I\u2019m not gonna let any of them outwork me. The President is entrusting me with this, and failure is not an option. So thank you so much, Mr. President, for this opportunity. I won\u2019t let you down.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi swore in Mullin with his six children and other family members in attendance to witness the ceremony.<\/p>\n

Mullin\u2019s post is historical in a handful of ways.<\/p>\n

He is the first Native American to lead the Homeland Security department, the second Native American to lead a cabinet agency, and the third Native person to be in the president\u2019s cabinet.<\/p>\n

He follows in the footsteps of previous Native Americans in the presidential cabinet: former Vice President Charles Curtis, Kaw Nation, under former President Herbert Hoover and former U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, under the Biden administration for four years.<\/p>\n

Mullin, Republican, became the first Native American man to serve in the U.S. Senate since the late Ben Knighthorse Campbell, who served as Colorado\u2019s senator from 1993 to 2005.<\/p>\n

Trump opened the ceremony saying he is \u201cthrilled\u201d for Mullin to be the next DHS secretary.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the only Native American in the Senate. Well, you\u2019re a fantastic representative,\u201d Trump said. \u201cThe first member of the Cherokee Nation to serve as a member of the cabinet. I didn\u2019t know all these things. I would have picked him faster if I had known I would have a quicker decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to his lived experience as a Cherokee person who grew up on his family allotment land in eastern Oklahoma, Mullin will bring a wealth of knowledge on tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and trust responsibilities to President Donald J. Trump\u2019s cabinet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t just that he\u2019s Native,\u201d Michael Stopp, Mullin\u2019s former chief-of-staff and political pundit, told ICT. \u201cIt\u2019s super exciting to see someone who has that experience and knowledge get to such a high level in the cabinet. I also think it\u2019s very important for our younger folks to see that it\u2019s absolutely possible for someone to do this. Representation matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday night, Mullin resigned from the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate to see him leaving the Senate, but to have him as [Department of Homeland Security] secretary is going to be very good for the country,\u201d Stopp said.<\/p>\n

Mullin would bring a level-headedness to his new role that wasn\u2019t present in the department before, Stopp said.<\/p>\n

In the past, Mullin owned one of the largest service businesses in Oklahoma, because of that he understands the importance of immigration, according to Stopp.<\/p>\n

As a member of Congress, Mullin has been outspoken about border security.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has hired migrant workers. He knows that migrant workers are very important to the U.S. economy, but we also need to know who\u2019s here,\u201d Stopp, Cherokee, said. \u201cThere does need to be a strong border policy, but at the same time, we need to make sure that we\u2019re bringing in the right people to do the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Native people\u2019s reaction to Mullin<\/p>\n

Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. of the Cherokee Nation congratulated Mullin as he advanced toward his new post.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Cherokee citizen, his service on the national stage carries deep meaning. We will miss his leadership in the Senate but know he will serve the country well in such a critical role on the world and national stage,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a critical time for DHS. As DHS Secretary Mullin can focus the agency better on law and order, fiscal discipline, public safety, emergency response, federal and tribal relations and most critically a commitment to due process and respect for the dignity of all human life. We wish him success in his new role as he works to protect the nation while carrying forward the values that have guided our families and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Coalition of Large Tribes, an organization for all large land-based tribal nations, said they are looking forward to working with the secretary.<\/p>\n

\u201cMullin is the first Native American that has been Secretary of Homeland Security, which we\u2019re very proud of,\u201d said OJ Semans, Sicangu Lakota and executive director of the coalition. \u201cWe have worked with Senator Mullin, Congressman Mullin, in the past. And he has been very helpful to large land-based tribes. And so we are ready and willing to work with him to see how we can move forward in a better way for Indian Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many are excited about Mullin\u2019s new role, many Native people have been criticizing Mullin for supporting Trump, leading a department that has arrested Native people across the country, and have been questioning his Cherokee identity.<\/p>\n

Some have been saying Mullin is a joke and called him a fake Cherokee. While Mullin is enrolled based on the tribe\u2019s enrollment criteria and the Cherokee Nation claims him back, many people are finding the new secretary controversial.<\/p>\n

Melissa Skeet, Din\u00e9, explained in a video with more than 4,500 likes and 1,500 shares on Facebook after Mullin\u2019s nomination in early March.<\/p>\n

She wrote that his blood quantum is not the issue or \u201chow Cherokee he is\u201d but it\u2019s \u201cwhat he actually represents.\u201d It\u2019s not that he \u201clooks white\u201d either, she wrote. \u201cThe point is who he aligns himself with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarkwayne Mullin has been one of the strongest supporters of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. And the beliefs and policies tied to that movement have repeatedly harmed Native people,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThey\u2019ve threatened Tribal sovereignty, weakened protections for Native lands, ignored Native communities, pushed damaging policies like [ICE] raids, increased MMIP cases and continue to send our relatives into pointless wars.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also mentions how he referenced the Trail of Tears as a \u201cvolunteer walk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when people say \u2018representation matters,\u2019 I agree but representation isn\u2019t just about someone claiming an identity. It\u2019s about what they stand for and who they choose to align themselves with,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the policies they support \u2026 I mean just because someone says they\u2019re Native doesn\u2019t automatically mean they\u2019re representing Native people. And in this case, Mullin has made it very clear where he stands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oklahoma\u2019s Senate seat<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oklahoma\u2019s governor on Tuesday appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to serve in the U.S. Senate through the end of the year and finish Mullin\u2019s term. Mullin would have been up for reelection in November.<\/p>\n

The choice by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had pledged to pick a \u201cconservative voice\u201d to fill Mullin\u2019s seat, elevates to the Senate the chairman and former CEO of Williams Companies, a major pipeline operator based in Tulsa.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a strong business leader who understands the power of free markets and limited government,\u201d Stitt said.<\/p>\n

The last nine months of his term will now be filled by Armstrong, who under Oklahoma law must agree to not run for a full term this fall. Republican U.S. Rep Kevin Hern quickly announced his candidacy for the Senate seat and has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

Armstrong, who has never served in elected office, has spent his career with Williams Companies, which employs about 5,800 people and specializes in the collection, storage and transportation of natural gas. He became president and CEO in 2011 and transitioned to executive chairman last year.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

The post DHS Secretary Mullin sworn in: \u2018No one is going to out-work me\u2019<\/a> first appeared on Native Sun News Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Attorney General Pam Bondi administers the oath during the swearing-in for Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, March 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon) WASHINGTON \u2014 Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was sworn in Tuesday afternoon, making him the first Native <\/p>\n

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Shared by Native Sun News Today<\/a> March 27, 2026<\/p>\n

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