WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Senator Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mullin will succeed Kristi Noem, who was removed from the position by President Donald Trump.

The confirmation vote saw Kentucky Senator Rand Paul as the only Republican to vote against Mullin, while Democratic Senators John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich supported the nomination. Paul, who chairs the Senate committee overseeing the Department of Homeland Security, voted against Mullin after clashing with him at his confirmation hearing.

President Trump nominated Mullin on March 5. Once sworn in, Mullin will oversee immigration enforcement, border protection and airport security at the Department of Homeland Security.

During his confirmation hearing, Mullin addressed his previous comments about Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old man killed by federal immigration officials in Minneapolis in January. Mullin had previously said Pretti was deranged and was attempting to do maximum damage when he approached federal agents. He said that he regretted his comments about Pretti but would not apologize to Pretti's family until the investigation into the incident is complete.

"I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as secretary of homeland I'll be protecting everybody," Mullin said. He also told senators, "My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day."

Senator Rand Paul questioned whether a man with "anger issues" could be trusted to set a good example for ICE and Border Patrol agents. During his confirmation hearing, Mullin promised a better approach on immigration enforcement.

Mullin told Homeland Security staff that judicial warrants will be used to enter properties unless agents are actively pursuing someone inside.

A partial government shutdown caused by disagreements over immigration enforcement has left many Department of Homeland Security services without funding. Thousands of TSA agents and other Department of Homeland Security employees are working without pay due to the shutdown. High rates of absences among TSA agents have resulted in long security lines at airports around the country.

Senator Gary Peters said, "When I heard President Trump would be nominating Sen. Mullin, I kept an open mind. However, throughout the nomination process, he has failed to be forthright and transparent."

After his confirmation, Mullin wrote on X, "President Trump ran on restoring law and order, and he quickly delivered the most secure U.S. border in American history. I look forward to supporting @POTUS' mission to safeguard the American people and defend the homeland."