There’s at least one reason to think that President Donald Trump’s pick to run the Department of Homeland Security understands natural disasters.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R) is from Oklahoma.
The state in the heart of Tornado Alley has been approved for federal disaster aid more times than any state in the past 20 years, government records show. Now Mullin is set to oversee such aid if the Senate approves him to head DHS, which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“It’s imperative the federal government steps in to assist these communities, and it is clear to all that there has been enough damage to do so,” Mullin said in June 2024 after tornadoes bounced across Oklahoma, demolishing buildings. FEMA has given the state nearly $12 million for cleanup and repairs from those June tornadoes, along with an additional $3.5 million to Oklahoma residents for emergency costs.
