Erika D. Smith, Columnist

Can Markwayne Mullin Clean Up Kristi Noem’s Mess?

March 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM UTC

Erika D. Smith is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. She is a former Los Angeles Times columnist and Sacramento Bee editorial board member.

New boss, same hat.
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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Shortly after Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin heard that President Donald Trump had picked him to be the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, he told reporters there were “opportunities to build off things that didn’t go as planned” for his predecessor Kristi Noem.

“I think there’s a lot of work we need to do,” Mullin said from the steps of the US Capitol.