From HVAC Contractor to DHS Nominee: Markwayne Mullin Tapped for Homeland Security Position
Mullin, a long-time ally of ACCA and the HVAC industry, ready to serve department’s mission
ADOVOCATE: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and ACCA President and CEO Barton James host a discussion during ACCA's Advocacy Day in 2025. (Courtesy of ACCA).
A man who went from an HVAC contractor to United States Senator is poised to take over a powerful cabinet position in the Trump Administration.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was nominated to be the Secretary of Homeland Security earlier this month by Pres. Donald Trump.
"I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026. ... Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Mullin has long been an advocate for the HVAC industry, and has a deep relationship with ACCA, even winning the “ACCA Coolest in Congress Award” in 2022.
"As a kid from Westville, it has been the greatest honor and privilege to serve the people of Oklahoma for the past thirteen years in both the House and Senate,” Mullin posted on X. “I am grateful to President Trump for nominating me to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the Senate and carrying out President Trump’s mission alongside the department’s many capable agencies and the thousands of patriots who keep us safe every day.”
Since Mullin’s election in 2012, ACCA said he’s been “a voice for the industry in the House of Representatives as well as an ally and partner of ACCA.”
In an email to ACHR NEWS, ACCA extended congratulations to Mullin on his recent nomination.
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“As the former owner of Mullin Plumbing, Senator Mullin has long understood the value of the skilled trades and championed our issues on the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,” ACCA said. “He joined ACCA members at our 2025 Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C., sharing his own journey from plumber to the U.S. Senate and reminding contractors that their voices matter in the halls of government.”
“We wish him well as he moves through the confirmation process.”
Long before he ran for Congress, Mullin grew up in a working-class family where his father ran a small plumbing business. Mullin would eventually take over the family business, Mullin Plumbing, after his father fell ill. Under his leadership, it expanded significantly, becoming one of the largest service companies in the region. Part of this expansion included branching into HVAC services through Mullin Services Inc., which handled residential and commercial.
By the time he entered politics in 2012 with his election to the House of Representatives, his home service firm had substantially grown, and it was reportedly sold to a private equity firm in 2021 for an undisclosed sum.
Mullin would serve Oklahoma’s 2nd congressional district for a decade before winning a Senate seat in 2022.
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