Pauly Denetclaw
ICT
Last week, the only Native American in the U.S. Senate, Markwayne Mullin, was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to join his cabinet as Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security.
Here are four things to know about him.
Background
Markwayne Mullin grew up on a ranch in Westville, Oklahoma — just under 30 miles east from Tahlequah, the capital of the Cherokee Nation. Mullin is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, and grew up on what the McGirt decision would later recognize as sovereign lands.
“He grew up on his family’s allotment land,” Micheal Stopp, Mullin’s former chief of staff and political pundit, said. “He understands the Indian issues from his life, from his work, and from his time as a policymaker and elected official. I think for Indian Country this is a bright spot.”
Westville is a rural, small town located on the border of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Adair County has a high population of American Indian and Alaska Natives with nearly 40 percent identifying as such, according to the U.S. Census. Westville has a population of 1,362, according to the Census. His parents are Jim and Brenda Mullin. He links his Cherokee heritage through his maternal grandfather. Mullin is the youngest of seven children.
“I’m Cherokee, and I never knew I was special for being Cherokee until I came to D.C., because where I’m from, everybody’s Indian or wants to be,” Mullin said in a 2025 press release. “And when I came up here, Tom Cole was the first one that came up to me and said, ‘Congratulations, we just doubled the size of our Native American Caucus.’ That was back in 2013. I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He’s like, ‘Well, I’m Chickasaw and you’re Cherokee.’”
Like other American Indian and Alaska Natives who are citizens of federally-recognized tribes, Mullin used Indian Health Services for health care, according to Stopp.
He graduated from Stilwell High School. Then, attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship. He left at 20, when his father became ill and needed his help running the family business, Mullin Plumbing.
He grew that business and started several others. Mullin is one of the few small business owners in Congress.
Mostly notably, Mullin was an MMA fighter with a professional undefeated record of 5-0.
Mullin married his high school sweetheart, Christie Renee Rowan. They have six children together.
Tribal sovereignty
Many members of Congress don’t understand the nation-to-nation relationship that tribal governments have with the United States, making Mullin’s role in Congress significant. He understands tribal sovereignty, trust and treaty obligations.
Mullin meets regularly with tribal leaders from his state.
“He takes meetings all the time with tribal leaders trying to understand where they’re coming from, while they may not always agree on the policy stance, he does look out for American Indians and for tribal sovereignty,” Stopp said.
In February, he met with Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear who had only positive reflections from their meeting.
“My relationship with Senator Markwayne Mullin has grown over the years, and he has consistently proven to be a strong advocate for tribal sovereignty,” Standing Bear said in a press release. “Senator Mullin understands the unique co-governing relationship Tribal Nations share with state and federal governments, and he is a strong voice for collaboration that benefits everyone who resides within our territory. From critical water infrastructure to oil and gas matters, these are significant issues impacting our Nation and our neighbors alike. Senator Mullin recognizes that we are stronger when we work together, and his visit today reflects his hands-on commitment to serving all Oklahomans. We deeply appreciate his time, attention, and support, and we look forward to further strengthening our relationship.”
Mullin has also supported legislation for advanced appropriations for IHS, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education.
“If the federal government lapses in annual appropriation funding, Indian Country should not have to suffer the consequences,” Mullin said in a 2023 press release. “In order to uphold our trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations, it is vital the federal government moves these programs to the advance appropriations process to ensure economic security for tribal communities. I’m proud to join my colleagues on this important legislation to protect Indian Country from future shutdowns.”
Two of his children were adopted and Mullin was able to use the Indian Child Welfare Act to bring them into his family.
Mullin has also supported tribal self-governance especially in the meat processing sector.
“Food sovereignty for our Tribal nations and businesses throughout Indian Country is critically important. The limitations of federal resources should not impact their growth,” Mullin said in recent press release. “Oklahoma is home to four of the twelve tribal meat processing facilities in the United States. Given their operation in rural areas, these facilities are often booked for months, or even years in advance, leaving few processing options for tribal producers. Common sense updates to current procedure will help tribes expand production, capacity, and support a reliable food supply in their communities.”
Immigration and border security
In his last congressional election for the US Senate, Mullin has talked about the need for stronger border security and enforcement of immigration laws. It has been one of his main platforms and he’s been outspoken on the issue.
Oklahoma is hundreds of miles from the US-Mexico border, with the entire state of Texas between the two.
As a business owner, Mullin understands the important role that people who immigrate to the United States fill in the workforce.
“As an employer, one of the largest employers in the state, (he) understands the need for visas and understands the needs that we need to have the right people in this country,” Stopp said. “He has worked with a number of folks to help them get visas to work here when he was a business leader. He also understands the importance of border security.”
He supports the finishing of Trump’s border wall and the mass enforcement of immigration laws.
Controversial figure
A resurfaced clip, from a 2018 interview on Fox & Friends, appears to show Mullin referring to the Trail of Tears as a “volunteer walk.”
Later, Mullin clarified his statement, saying his Cherokee ancestors voluntarily relocated from their traditional homelands in the southeast for what is now Oklahoma.
“I know the story of my family and the history of the Trail of Tears,” Mullen said in a 2018 Facebook post. “The Cherokee Nation states that there were Cherokees who voluntarily relocated before the forced removal. My family did exactly that — and that is what I was referring to in my comments. They moved west before the forced removal and settled near the Arkansas/Oklahoma border where my family and I still live today. I never said the Trail of Tears was voluntary.”
His fiery exchanges in the Senate included a 2023 hearing with the head of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, when Mullin told the union leader to “stand your butt up,” before standing from his seat and appearing to take his ring off.
“If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults,” Mullin told Sean O’Brien, the union’s president, with whom Mullin had previously engaged in a back-and-forth on social media. “We can finish it here.”
Months after his confrontation with O’Brien, the two reconciled. Mullin called the union leader a “new friend.” O’Brien recently praised Mullin’s secretary nomination.
The interaction underscored how Mullin is one of Trump’s most aggressive defenders in Congress and often spars with people on social media, but also often is an affable presence in the Capitol. He’s known to walk the halls in a cowboy hat and boots, sometimes bouncing a rubber ball as he chats with reporters.
He’s also a conduit between the White House and Senate Republican leadership and maintains relationships from his days in the House. He still leads workout sessions sometimes in the House gym.
At the State of the Union last month, Mullin took a swipe at a sign held by Rep. Al Green that said, “Black people aren’t apes,” a reference to a racist video the president posted that depicted former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as primates in a jungle.
During the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Mullin made headlines when he attempted to enter the country from multiple locations and was denied. Mullin said he was trying to help an American family flee Afghanistan.
Mullin initially vowed to only serve three terms in Congress, a promise he later broke when he announced plans to run again, saying then that he “didn’t understand politics” when he originally made the initial pledge.
He also has faced criticism for receiving at least $1.8 million from a federal rescue program designed to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
Data from the U.S. Treasury Department showed four separate businesses owned by Mullin received a total of between $800,000 and $1.9 million from the Paycheck Protection Program. A Mullin spokeswoman said at the time the congressman was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the companies and referred questions to the companies’ chief financial officer.
Looking forward
Stopp said Mullin would bring a levelheadedness to the Department of Homeland Security that wasn’t present before.
Mullin still has to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The date is unknown.
The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.