Democrats who worked with Mullin on Native issues optimistic he can right ship at DHS

U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin answers questions from the Congressional press corps just off the floor of the Senate. Photo: Matt Laslo

HOST: Antonia Gonzalez

After overcoming a cringeworthy confirmation hearing over his combative past comments, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be the next Homeland Security Secretary cleared a key committee vote.

Correspondent Matt Laslo reports on the bipartisan relationships the enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation has built over his 13 years representing Oklahoma in Washington. 

Narration: Matt Laslo

WASHINGTON — Contrary to the tough guy you may have seen on your screen picking fights with union bosses or Senate committee chairs, Senator Mullin has lots of fans in Congress. New Mexico Democratic Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) serves with Mullin on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. 

“I may have some policy disagreements with Senator Mullin. Mark’s Mark. That’s who he is, you know?” Luján said. “So yeah, I don't know that there's anything out of sorts there. It's just, that's just who he is.” 

Luján says Mullin’s been a key ally on the other side of the aisle in today’s divided Washington. 

“Not just, you know, Democrat, Republican. He's been a member that tribal leaders have sought out to support different efforts,” Luján told National Native News. 

While Mullin’s Cherokee Nation, he stepped into a 137-year long fight last year and played a pivotal role in helping North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe gain full federal recognition over protests from other tribes. North Carolina Republican Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) says Mullin was pivotal. 

“He thought that the opposition by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina was incorrect,” Budd told National Native News. “And so as an enrolled Cherokee, he supported the Lumbees and it's always appreciated.”

Kansas Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids (D-KS) is an enrolled member of the Ho-Chunk Nation. For her first two terms she overlapped with Mullin in the U.S. House. 

Besides the two both being former MMA fighters, Davids says Mullin and her put partisan differences aside and worked together for Indian Country.

"When he was in the House, we worked on quite a few tribal related things, including trying to stabilize ICWA — Indian Child Welfare Act,” Davids told National Native News. “And then also on, like, foster programs and that kind of stuff. So we've been, I mean, we've been able to work together on issues that we both care about." 

Masked ICE agents may garner the national headlines, but Davids says she’s watching to see how Mullin handles the other parts of the sweeping Homeland Security agency that outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem neglected.

"I'm hopeful that he will be much better in terms of leading the department,” Davids said. “Of course there's hot button issues, but when you think about FEMA and the importance of FEMA functioning, of our TSA folks…" 

LISTEN: This exclusive www.nativenews.net mini-feature from The LCB aired on NPR member stations from Arizona to Alaska.