Mullin's Nomination Signals FEMA Will Remain a Political Weapon
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump's nomination of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security exposes a glaring contradiction: he comes from a state ravaged by disasters that depend on the very federal agency he's now poised to oversee—yet his record suggests he's willing to starve it of resources.
"Mullin's nomination exposes a stunning double standard. Oklahoma absorbed $1.7 billion in disaster damage last year alone—damage that FEMA helped repair,” said Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Board member Davante Lewis. “Yet Mullin has voted to block that same federal lifeline for Americans in other states facing their own catastrophes. After Kristi Noem spent months gutting FEMA from the inside, replacing her with another Trump loyalist who views disaster relief as a political tool rather than a moral obligation is a betrayal of every American facing climate chaos. This nomination tells us everything we need to know about where this administration's priorities truly lie."
Why Mullin is the wrong choice to oversee FEMA:
Voted against critical FEMA funding in 2024 even as his own constituents in Oklahoma faced mounting climate disasters and relied on federal disaster assistance to recover from devastating tornadoes and severe weather events
Represents a state that received more federal disaster aid approvals than any other in the past two decades, yet has demonstrated willingness to deny that same lifesaving support to other communities across the country when politically convenient
Political loyalist to Trump's plan to gut FEMA, raising serious concerns he will continue the destructive policies that began under Noem's leadership rather than restore the agency's independence and mission
Nomination comes at the worst possible time, as FEMA's workforce has been decimated by mass firings, traumatized by DOGE interference, and demoralized by a revolving door of leadership that has left the agency unable to effectively respond to disasters
No indication he will reverse the damage done under Noem, including the politicization of disaster aid, retaliation against staffers who speak out, and plans to dismantle the agency's capacity to protect communities
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