Senate Confirms New DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin As Democrats Continue Funding Blockade

The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday night, the 38th day of the department's partial shutdown.

The Senate confirmed Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as DHS Secretary the same day the administration sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to assist with security while thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees work unpaid through the shutdown. There has been little movement in negotiations over Democrats' demands to reform the department's law enforcement policies despite some bipartisan meetings on Capitol Hill the previous week.