Markwayne Mullin confirmed to lead Department of Homeland Security
The Senate confirmed Mullin to lead Homeland Security, where his stance on immigration enforcement will shape the agency's work.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Spokesman.com, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
The story is attributed to a named congressional reporter and identifies itself as work that originally appeared through USA Today Network and Reuters Connect. Spokesman.com is an established regional news publisher, and the explicit syndication attribution makes the reporting's origin relatively transparent.
- Source type — Established regional news publisher carrying an attributed syndicated report.
- Author attribution — Names a congressional reporter and provides professional contact information.
- Transparency — Identifies USA Today Network and Reuters Connect as the article's origin or distribution path.
- Editorial standards — The text uses attributed statements and concrete vote and shutdown details; no corrections information is visible in the article.
The article provides the confirmation tally, political context, and statements from senators on different sides, along with detail about the shutdown and Mullin's position on warrants. It offers limited direct evidence and little response from Mullin or the White House, so the account is informative but not fully sourced across the dispute.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story includes the opposing vote and criticism from Paul, support from two Democrats, and Mullin's stated position on warrants. It gives limited space to a direct response from Mullin or the White House, leaving some perspectives underdeveloped.
- Counterarguments presented — Reports Paul's criticism and dissenting vote as well as support from Fetterman and Heinrich.
- Source diversity — Includes statements from senators on differing sides, but few independent or affected sources.
- Omitted context — Does not provide a direct response from Mullin to Paul's criticism or a White House response to the warrant issue.
- Loaded language — Some evaluative descriptions appear, but the article is primarily reported rather than argumentative.
The story reports the vote, competing views, and shutdown context in largely descriptive language. Its references to enforcement policies as a political liability and to Mullin as pugilistic add framing, but do not establish a clear partisan lean.
- Language tone — Mostly matter-of-fact reporting, with a few pointed descriptive phrases.
- Source selection — Includes criticism from Paul and supportive remarks from Heinrich, alongside Mullin's stated position.
- Framing — Connects the confirmation to immigration enforcement and the DHS shutdown without making an explicit partisan argument.
Republished with credit
Republished from USA Today, with credit to the original publisher.
19 stories · 79–81 · updated Oct 9, 2026
This is USA Today's own score, and this article is credited to USA Today. The host score in the Source Check is Spokesman.com's.
The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security in a 54-45 vote, with two Democrats supporting him and Rand Paul opposing him. Mullin takes over an agency facing a partial shutdown and negotiations over immigration enforcement reforms.
The Senate confirmed Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security secretary, replacing Kristi Noem. The 54-45 vote was largely along party lines: Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against confirmation, while John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich were among the Democrats who supported Mullin. Paul criticized Mullin during his confirmation hearing, while Heinrich said he considered Mullin a friend.
The article reports that the Department of Homeland Security had been partially shut down for nearly six weeks amid Democratic demands for reforms following the January killings of two Minnesotans by federal immigration and border agents. Mullin said at his hearing that ICE would not enter a home or business without a judicial warrant, except when pursuing an individual; the article says the issue remained a sticking point in negotiations.
Community verdict
37 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →President whose administration sets the immigration agenda
Senator who voted to confirm Mullin and voiced support for him
Senator who voted to confirm Mullin
Former secretary of Homeland Security whom Mullin replaces
Senator who opposed Mullin's confirmation
Part of a bigger story
20 OUTLETSThe Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security secretary in a 54-45 vote. He took over the department amid a funding shutdown and disputes over immigration enforcement. Center outlets mostly present the confirmation and swearing-in as a leadership transition, while some examine the funding impasse and Mullin’s prospective approach to DHS. Right-leaning outlets also cover the transition amid shutdown and immigration disputes, but some characterize the funding fight as Democratic obstruction and emphasize his enforcement agenda.
- ARTICLES
- 23
- OUTLETS
- 20
- AVG CRED
- 65
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