2 Dems defect to confirm Trump's pick to replace disgraced Kristi Noem at DHS

The Senate confirmed Trump loyalist Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as homeland security secretary on Monday with crucial support from two Democratic senators who broke ranks on the contentious nomination.

Mullin was confirmed in a 54-to-45 vote, The New York Times reported. Nearly all Republicans and two Democrats voted in support of his nomination, with Sen. Rand Paul, (R-KY) breaking from his party and opposing Mullin after a public clash during his contentious confirmation hearing last week.

Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) helped get Mullin across the line.

Mullin is a former mixed martial arts fighter and plumbing company owner.

The confirmation comes as the Department of Homeland Security comes under fire from a controversial stint from ousted former Secretary Kristi Noem. Mullin inherits a department facing a crisis of public confidence, with recent polling showing Americans increasingly believe immigration agents have gone too far, particularly after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year.

The confirmation also comes as thousands of Homeland Security employees work without pay during a partial government shutdown triggered by partisan gridlock over immigration enforcement.

At his confirmation hearing, Mullin promised immigration officers would no longer enter homes without judicial warrants and suggested fewer sweeping operations in Democratic-led cities.