Senate confirms Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security secretary

The U.S. Senate confirmed Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Cherokee, as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in a 54-45 vote Monday evening, according to ICT. Mullin will become the ninth secretary and the first Native American to lead the department, which has more than 260,000 employees. He is also the third Native person to serve in a president’s cabinet, according to ICT.

The Department of Homeland Security was established in 2002 after the Sept. 11 attacks and combines 22 federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Secret Service. Mullin’s confirmation creates a vacancy in the U.S. Senate, which Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to fill until a special election later this year, ICT reported.