Kristi Noem’s ouster ‘changes nothing’ for Democrats blocking DHS funding

Published March 5, 2026 5:19pm ET



Senate Democrats aren’t backing down from their shutdown demands to restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement despite President Donald Trump on Thursday firing Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary and nominating Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as her replacement.

Democrats concede Mullin presents an “upgrade” from Noem’s rocky handling of the agency and Trump’s deportation agenda, but they say the personnel switch is not enough to unfreeze stalled funding negotiations over ICE that have seen DHS shuttered for nearly three weeks.

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