President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, March 5, 2026, that he was removing Kristi Noem from her position as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and nominating Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from the state of Oklahoma, to replace her. Trump made the announcement through a post on Truth Social, making Noem the first Cabinet secretary to depart the administration during Trump’s second term in office.
Trump said Mullin would assume the role of Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security effective March 31, 2026, pending Senate confirmation. In the same announcement, Trump assigned Noem to a newly created diplomatic position titled Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, describing it as a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere that the administration would formally unveil at an event in Doral, Florida.
What triggered the removal of Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary in March 2026?
The immediate catalyst for Noem’s removal was her testimony before a Senate panel on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, in which she stated that President Trump had personally approved a $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign tied to Department of Homeland Security immigration enforcement activities. The admission created political difficulty for both Noem and the White House, drawing sharp criticism from Republican senators who expressed concern over the scale of the public expenditure.
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana told Noem during the hearing that a sum representing a fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money troubled him at a time when legislators were scrutinizing every budget line. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told Noem during the same hearing that she had demonstrated anything but the exceptional leadership expected of someone in her position and characterized her tenure at the department as a disaster.
The advertising contract also drew scrutiny over how it was awarded. Representative Joe Neguse, a Democrat from Colorado, questioned Noem during a separate House hearing about why the contract was not subject to competitive bidding, noting that the recipient media company had connections to a former political director of the National Republican Congressional Committee and had been incorporated just eight days before the contract was issued.
An administration official told NBC News that Trump’s decision to remove Noem reflected what the official described as a culmination of leadership failures, citing fallout from events in Minnesota, the advertising campaign, allegations of infidelity, mismanagement of departmental staff, and persistent conflicts with the heads of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Why did the deaths of two United States citizens in Minnesota intensify pressure on Kristi Noem to resign?
Noem attracted criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers following incidents in January 2026 in which two United States citizens, Minneapolis nurse Alex Pretti and mother Renee Nicole Good, were shot and killed by federal agents during separate immigration enforcement operations. Noem publicly described both individuals as domestic terrorists, a characterization that drew immediate and widespread condemnation.
Noem also suggested that Pretti had been carrying a firearm and ammunition to a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforcement activity, implying that he had intended to inflict harm on officers. The claim was contested and added to the accumulating criticism of Noem’s public communications and judgment in handling sensitive domestic enforcement matters.
What is the role and significance of Corey Lewandowski in the Department of Homeland Security under Kristi Noem?
Corey Lewandowski, a former senior aide on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, had been placed in a special employee advisory role at the Department of Homeland Security under Noem and is expected to leave the department at the same time as Noem. Lawmakers raised questions about Lewandowski’s authority within the department, including whether he held the power to approve grants and contracts. Congressional hearings also surfaced questions about his personal relationship with Noem.
Who is Senator Markwayne Mullin and what qualifications does he bring to the Department of Homeland Security role?
Senator Markwayne Mullin was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2012 and served there for a decade before winning a 2022 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe. During his Senate tenure, Mullin has been a consistent supporter of Trump’s legislative agenda and has served as a prominent communicator for the Senate Republican caucus, frequently engaging with reporters and appearing on television news programs.
Mullin played a notable role as an informal liaison between the House and Senate during negotiations over the 2025 Republican tax and spending legislation known as the “one big beautiful bill,” helping to facilitate communication between the two chambers during a contentious legislative process. Trump described Mullin in his Truth Social post as a former undefeated professional mixed martial arts fighter and noted his status as the only Native American serving in the United States Senate.
Mullin said on Thursday that he was excited about the nomination and acknowledged it was not a complete surprise. He confirmed he had spoken recently with the president, said the two maintained a close working relationship, and indicated he would begin the Senate confirmation process immediately.
If confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Mullin would carry broad national security responsibilities, including oversight of the United States Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and significant roles in counterterrorism, aviation security, and cybersecurity policy.
What are the Senate confirmation dynamics and the broader political consequences of Mullin leaving the United States Senate?
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration would work with the Senate to complete Mullin’s confirmation as quickly as possible. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced his opposition to the nomination, arguing that problems at the Department of Homeland Security were rooted in policy rather than personnel, and that the Senate should not consider any nominee until the department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement were subject to greater oversight. At least one Democratic senator indicated support for the nomination.
If Mullin is confirmed, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt would be required to appoint a Republican to fill the Senate vacancy until the November 2026 midterm elections. Because Mullin’s current Senate term expires in 2026, state law does not provide for a special election, meaning the appointed replacement would serve only through the midterm cycle. The departure of a sitting Republican senator carries potential implications for the Senate Republican caucus’s working majority during a period when several significant legislative items remain pending.
What does the departure of Kristi Noem reveal about the trajectory of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration?
The removal of Noem marks the first Cabinet departure of Trump’s second term and reflects the degree to which immigration enforcement outcomes and departmental messaging remain closely linked to White House political standing. During Trump’s first term, the Department of Homeland Security saw five secretaries, including three in acting capacities, underscoring the institutional turbulence the department has historically experienced under the current administration.
During her tenure, Noem oversaw a major expansion in the hiring of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and the broader deployment of Border Patrol agents across the United States. Her leadership also confronted sustained legal resistance, with federal district courts blocking Department of Homeland Security efforts to invoke wartime authorities to accelerate deportations and ordering the return of deportees in specific cases. Polls cited in reporting around the time of Noem’s departure indicated declining public support for aspects of the administration’s immigration enforcement approach, which some White House advisers had discussed recalibrating.
What this development means for United States homeland security policy, the Department of Homeland Security, and Trump’s second-term political agenda
- President Donald Trump removed Secretary Kristi Noem from her position leading the Department of Homeland Security on March 5, 2026, citing a series of leadership failures including the controversy over a $220 million taxpayer-funded advertising campaign and fallout from the deaths of two United States citizens during Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota in January 2026.
- Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma has been nominated to replace Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, with an effective start date of March 31, 2026, pending Senate confirmation; Mullin is a Trump ally with a decade of congressional service and a background in the House-Senate negotiations over the 2025 Republican tax and spending legislation.
- Noem’s departure marks the first Cabinet exit of Trump’s second term and reflects ongoing political pressure over the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, which has faced both legal challenges in federal courts and declining public approval ratings according to polling cited by administration advisers.
- Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign aide serving in a special advisory capacity at the Department of Homeland Security, is also expected to leave the department; his role drew scrutiny from congressional lawmakers over grant and contract approval authority.
- Mullin’s confirmation and subsequent Senate vacancy would require Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt to appoint a Republican replacement, with no special election possible given that Mullin’s term expires in 2026, carrying potential implications for the Senate Republican caucus’s legislative margin.
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