WATCH LIVE: Trump swears in Markwayne Mullen as new Homeland Security secretary amid lockdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullen as Homeland Security secretary late Monday, approving President Donald Trump’s nominee to take over the embattled department after Kristi Noem was fired during a public backlash over the administration’s mass immigration enforcement and deportation operations.

President Markwayne Mullen is expected to be sworn in at 1:30 p.m. EST. Watch the live stream in our video player above.

Mullen, a Republican senator from Oklahoma known for his close friendship with Trump, tried to present himself as a steady hand, saying his goal as secretary would be to get the department off the front page of news. He took office at a difficult time as Trump ordered ICE agents to beef up airport security during a budget crisis in Congress. He clashed with the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who questioned Mullen’s character and temperament during a tense hearing last week.

Watch live: The Senate meets as lawmakers consider a deal to fund Homeland Security

Senators confirmed him on a largely party-line vote, 54-45.

Routine funding for the Department of Homeland Security has been cut since February 14, leading to long waits at US airports due to TSA agents being called in rather than working without pay. Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration make changes in immigration enforcement operations after the deaths of American citizens during protests this year in Minneapolis. Trump rejected the last proposal, and the talks stopped.

An MMA fighter takes on a homeland security mission

While the senator arrives at the position after more than a dozen years in Congress, and with management experience running an expansive family plumbing business in Oklahoma, he has not been seen as a major force on immigration issues.

Read more: Energy executive Alan Armstrong has been selected to fill Mullen’s Senate seat until the end of the year

A former mixed martial arts fighter and college wrestler who led early morning training sessions at his members-only home gym, he became close to members of both parties and is often seen as a negotiator in partisan Washington.

It is his loyalty to Trump that has landed him in this position, and he is not expected to deviate from the president’s approach. Mullen was a vocal supporter of Trump’s immigration agenda and ICE officers before he was tapped for the DHS job.

He watches: A look at Mullen’s rise from MMA fighter to MAGA warrior and DHS nomination

“I can have different opinions with everyone in this room, but as Secretary of the Interior I will protect everyone,” Mullen said during his confirmation hearing.

Immigration enforcement at the center of funding gridlock

The first challenge facing Mullen will be to restore routine funding for the department, which has been blocked since mid-February, with Democrats demanding stricter restrictions. They want immigration officials to identify themselves and not wear masks; Refrain from enforcement operations around schools, churches, hospitals and other sensitive locations; Wear body cameras. Obtaining the judge’s approval for search warrants before entering people’s homes or private places.

At his confirmation hearing last week, Mullen sought to portray himself as a steady hand at a pivotal time for the agency — an image that the committee’s chairman, Republican Senator Rand Paul, disputed in a heated debate. Democrats are also skeptical, seeing him as a loyal enforcer of Trump’s agenda.

Read more: Mullen, Trump’s security pick, is poised to inherit a challenging Department of Homeland Security

Paul voted against Mullen during the committee vote, and again on Monday. Democratic Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico joined other Republicans in voting to confirm the nominee.

“Markwayne Mullen is ready to lead,” said Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the second-largest Republican in the world. He said Mullen “will serve with diligence and character. He will be a leader who makes our country safer.”

Mullen comes to office at a time when public support for the president’s immigration agenda has declined after a year of high-profile operations in multiple US cities. Under Noem’s leadership, officers have been accused of using force to arrest immigrants, detaining them in squalid conditions, and bypassing due process to quickly deport immigrants.

Mullen walked back some of his comments during his confirmation hearing, saying he made a mistake in insulting protester Alex Peretti after an ICE officer shot and killed him. He said that as secretary he would refrain from making judgments before an investigation was conducted.

Read more: Who is Markwayne Mullen, Trump’s new nominee for the Department of Homeland Security?

He highlighted other ways he might influence policy when it comes to immigration. For example, he said officers would be required to use a warrant signed by a judge — not the administrative warrants that ICE officers now use — to enter a home except in rare circumstances.

He acknowledged some communities’ concerns about massive ICE detention facilities being built in their neighborhoods, and said cutting off federal funds to so-called sanctuary authorities that don’t work with ICE would be a last resort.

But ultimately, it is the White House that sets the agenda when it comes to how Trump’s vision for immigration enforcement is implemented, and Mullen is expected to follow suit. Trump faces a powerful lobby within the Republican Party that is pushing him to fulfill his promise to deport 1 million people a year.

FEMA and federal disaster aid are in a constant state of flux

Mullen will also be busy charting a new course at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has drawn scrutiny as it delivers disaster aid to parts of the country hard hit by hurricanes and other natural disasters.

A growing number of critics, even fellow Republicans, have said Noem’s policy of personally approving contracts worth more than $100,000 has slowed disaster response, and the department still does not have a full-time director.

Read more: Mullen, nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, offers a different vision for FEMA than his predecessor Noem.

Mullen presented a new approach to FEMA during his Senate confirmation hearing, rejecting the idea of ​​abolishing FEMA and saying he would eliminate the Noem contract approval rule.

Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.