OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
6:40 PM – Tuesday, March 10, 2026
After President Donald Trump nominated Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Trump’s pick now faces scrutiny from Kentucky GOP Senator Rand Paul, whom Mullin recently labeled a “freaking snake.”
As the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), Paul is tasked with overseeing the very confirmation hearing that will determine whether his outspoken critic, Mullin (R-Okla.), joins the president’s Cabinet.
Just weeks ago, during an event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mullin reportedly condemned Paul, venting his frustration over the Kentucky senator’s frequent use of procedural hurdles to block GOP-backed legislation.
“Rand Paul’s a freaking snake,” Mullin told a group of voters, according to reporting by Oklahoma journalist David Arnett. “I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did. And I told him that to his face,” he added.
The latter remark was a reference to a 2017 incident in which Paul was attacked by a neighbor over a landscaping dispute, resulting in six broken ribs and fluid in his lungs. For a nominee to have publicly validated an assault against the committee chair, who holds his professional fate in his hands, could come back to bite him.
Nonetheless, other Republican colleagues believe Paul will prioritize statesmanship over personal grievances, setting aside past friction to ensure a swift confirmation process for the president’s DHS nominee.
Paul is a vocal critic of the DHS’s current size and scope, though as the chairman of the HSGAC, his relationship with the department is defined by intense oversight rather than total opposition. He has long argued that DHS has become an “unwieldy bureaucracy” that has drifted from its original mission of defending the homeland. He is also one of the few Republicans who consistently votes against DHS funding packages.
Meanwhile, Mullin’s nomination comes as President Trump executes a swift pivot in his immigration and border strategy.
Last week, Trump announced that Kristi Noem would vacate the top spot at DHS to serve as a “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.” The dismissal followed a week of grueling testimony where Noem faced criticism from both sides of the aisle.
Despite the presumed animosity between both senators, Paul appears to be moving forward with the process. On Monday, he told reporters he is tentatively aiming for a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, March 18th, provided the necessary paperwork is finalized.
“We’re shooting for a week from Wednesday,” Paul said while entering a car outside the Capitol.
Mullin, a former professional MMA fighter and a member of the Cherokee Nation, would be the first Native American to lead the DHS. While he is expected to have the backing of the MAGA base and many Senate colleagues who view him as a “warrior” for the “America First” agenda, he will first have to endure a gauntlet led by a man he publicly disparaged.
The DHS remains under a partial government shutdown as of early March, adding further pressure on the Senate to install a permanent leader to manage the nation’s border and disaster response agencies.
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