Markwayne Mullin's FEMA Record
Markwayne Mullin: Inexperienced With FEMA’s Operations, Dismissive Of Climate Change’s Role In Natural Disasters, And Supportive Of Changes To FEMA That Would Weaken Its Disaster Response Capabilities
President Donald Trump nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the agency in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Yet Mullin lacks recent FEMA oversight, ranks 7th among Congressional Climate Deniers for fossil fuel cash, dismisses climate science amid surging disasters—and wants to gut the agency.
Experts warn his state-led overhaul would slow responses and multiply costs 50-fold, as states can't solo mega-disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, or quakes.
With no FEMA experience, polluter ties, and denial of climate drivers, Mullin's push risks lives when seconds count.
Mullin Has No Recent FEMA Oversight Experience
Congressional FEMA oversight happens through three committees: House Transportation and Infrastructure, House Homeland Security, and Senate Homeland Security.
Mullin has served as Senator from Oklahoma since 2023, and previously represented Oklahoma’s 2nd district in the House from 2013 to 2022. Mullin served on House Transportation and Infrastructure from 2013-2015, but not the remainder of his time in the House. He never served on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
That means Mullin hasn't had direct FEMA oversight responsibility in over a decade.
During that decade, FEMA confronted record hurricane seasons, catastrophic wildfires, historic flooding, and pandemic-era disasters. The agency evolved dramatically to handle increasingly severe climate-driven emergencies.
Mullin's Climate Denial And Fossil Fuel Contributions Risks FEMA
Climate change has boosted the frequency and intensity of extremes like heavy rain, droughts, hurricanes, record-breaking heat, and wildfires since pre-industrial times. Yet Sen. Mullin doesn't believe climate change is driving the very disasters he'd oversee the federal response to as FEMA head. Labeling him one of 119 congressional “Climate Deniers” in a 2025 Center for American Progress analysis, it also ranks him 7th among Deniers in lifetime fossil fuel campaign contributions at $1,411,381—raising serious doubts about his ability to lead effective, science-based disaster preparedness and response.
His record of climate denial speaks for itself:
On the 2023 Canadian wildfires: Mullin told Fox Business: "Does this have anything to do with climate change? Absolutely not. If you studied forests, especially healthy forests, you'll see nature naturally burns itself off every 11 years."
But the science says otherwise: Canadian government scientists found climate change "more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fire weather conditions" in Quebec.
On climate policy: Mullin called Biden's climate efforts "climate hysteria" in September 2023. He tweeted that "the greatest threat to the United States is not climate change" on January 16, 2025.
On Paris Agreement: Mullin supported U.S. withdrawal from the international climate accord, isolating America from global efforts to address the crisis.
On methane limits: The Tulsa World fact-checked Mullin for spreading misinformation about Biden's infrastructure plan, falsely claiming a methane tax would Mullin states the bill would result in annual fees of up to $6,500 per dairy cow, $2,600 per head of cattle and $500 per hog. That wasn't in the proposal.
On fossil fuels: In a Fox News opinion piece, Mullin emphasized the “necessity of fossil fuels” and criticized Democratic administrations for attempting to transition away from coal-fired power plants. He then supported a Trump Executive Order that deprioritized federal action on climate change.
Mullin Supports Gutting FEMA, Supporting State-Run Disaster Response That Experts Say Would Multiply Costs 50x
Sen. Mullin has pushed to gut FEMA. In January 2025, Mullin told NOTUS that FEMA "drags their feet," claiming Oklahoma locals could respond better as they "live and breathe that neighborhood." By July, he told Fox Business: "It's not FEMA that's going to respond, it's the local people"—with those awaiting government aid waiting "indefinitely."
The Trump administration agrees: Its FEMA Review Council proposes shifting response to states and slashing FEMA's workforce in half.
Emergency experts call this catastrophic. Josh Morton, Saluda County, SC, emergency director and IAEM president, told NPR: Federal coordination is "a lot more cost-effective" than 50 states duplicating full-scale programs—which most couldn't afford.
Losing half of FEMA's staff, experts warn, "could dramatically slow disaster response" when speed saves lives.
The reality: States need permanent staff, equipment, and systems for worst-case disasters that might happen once every few decades. Most states can’t afford it. The federal model pools resources and deploys specialized expertise where needed—far more efficient than 50 redundant systems.
