Senate set to confirm Mullin as DHS Secretary as Trump praises his pick as 'the right guy'

WASHINGTON (TNND) -- The Senate is gearing up to confirm Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., advancing his nomination over the weekend to succeed Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. On Sunday, the Senate voted 54-37 to advance Mullin, setting up a final vote on his nomination on Monday evening. President Donald Trump was asked about Mullin's pending confirmation when speaking with reporters outside of Air Force One on Monday morning. He'll make his own changes. He's already given me a list of people he wants to bring. He's a fantastic guy. I think he's just the right guy. You all know him. He's a very open, smart guy, very successful actually in business, which people don't know, and he's a friend of mine. I think Markwayne is going to be fantastic," Trump said. The nomination advanced largely along party lines, with Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., being the only Democrats to show support for Mullin. Last week, Fetterman cast a critical vote for Mullin on the Homeland Security Committee after Chair Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voted no, following a tense exchange during Wednesday's confirmation hearing. Mullin sparred with Sen. Paul after Paul used his opening statement to confront Mullin over past comments calling him a "freaking snake" and saying he "completely understood" why a neighbor assaulted Paul in 2017. "Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it," Paul said. "And while you're at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents." Fetterman has said he is supporting Mullin's nomination as he feels it will be an "improvement over Noem." He also said he has a "constructive working relationship" with Mullin. Heinrich shared a similar sentiment, saying Mullin would not be "bullied" into changing his views. In total, eight Democrats and Sen. Paul missed Sunday's vote. President Trump's pick to take over DHS will enter after the firing of Noem, after political backlash over immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations hit a boiling point. My goal in six months is that we're not in the lead story every single day. My goal is to help people understand we're out there, we're protecting them and we're working with them," said Mullin during the confirmation hearing last week. Mullin will also be faced with the challenge of the department's funding being shut down since mid-February, as well as long waits at U.S. airports and Monday's introduction of ICE agents assisting Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at America's airports. Democrats are demanding changes to immigration enforcement operations after the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good during protests in Minneapolis this year. Mullin is a former mixed martial arts fighter who has served in Congress for more than a dozen years. He also owns a family plumbing business in Oklahoma. He is a strong supporter of Trump's immigration agenda and ICE officers and is seen as a negotiator between parties on Capitol Hill, becoming friends with those on both sides of the aisle. "I can have different opinions with everybody in this room, but as Secretary of Homeland I'll be protecting everybody," Mullin said last week. _______