Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to Markwayne Mullin
Public opinion and media debates around Markwayne Mullin—discover key moments of controversy.
Markwayne Mullin is an American businessman and Republican politician currently serving as the junior U.S. Senator from Oklahoma since 2023. He won a special election in 2022 to fill the remainder of Jim Inhofe's term. Notably, Mullin is the first Native American U.S. Senator since 2005 and the second Cherokee Nation citizen ever elected to the Senate. Prior to his Senate tenure, Mullin represented Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023.
April 2017: Controversy Over Taxpayer-Funded Salary
In April 2017, Mullin drew criticism after stating during a town hall meeting that it was "bullcrap" that taxpayers pay his salary, claiming he pays his own salary through his company. As of 2022, Mullin still collects the U.S. Congress base salary of $174,000.
2018: U.S. House Ethics Committee Report
In 2018, the U.S. House Ethics Committee noted that Mullin made efforts to seek guidance on family business matters, but also noted that ethics rules discourage endorsing products or services, particularly if the member personally benefits financially.
December 10, 2020: Introduced Protect Women's Sports Act
On December 10, 2020, Mullin and Representative Tulsi Gabbard introduced the Protect Women's Sports Act, which would define Title IX protections based on biological sex at birth and effectively ban many transgender athletes from participating in programs corresponding with their gender.
December 2020: Signed Amicus Brief Supporting Texas v. Pennsylvania
In December 2020, Mullin was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election.
August 2021: Attempted to Enter Afghanistan During US Withdrawal
In August 2021, during the final days of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Mullin and others attempted to enter Kabul to evacuate a family of U.S. citizens, but their requests were denied by the Defense Department and U.S. embassy in Tajikistan due to safety concerns and currency importation restrictions.
2021: Voted Against American Rescue Plan Act
In 2021, Mullin voted against the American Rescue Plan Act, along with all other Senate and House Republicans.
August 2022: Criticism Over PPP Loan Forgiveness
In August 2022, Mullin criticized President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan but faced criticism after the White House Twitter account pointed out that Mullin had benefited from $1.4 million of federal PPP loan forgiveness.
2022: Stance on Abortion
During the 2022 Republican runoff debate, Mullin expressed his support for making abortion illegal in all circumstances, including cases of rape, incest, or if the mother's life is at risk, claiming that he and his wife would not want to get an abortion even if her life was at risk during a pregnancy.
2022: Received PPP Loan Forgiveness
In 2022, Mullin had $1.4 million in PPP loans forgiven and was criticized for his hypocrisy regarding President Biden's student loan debt forgiveness plan.
2022: Introduced Resolutions to Remove Trump Impeachments
In 2022, Mullin introduced resolutions to remove the first and second impeachments of President Trump from the Congressional Record, although the resolution did not pass due to the House having a Democratic majority at the time.
2022: Supported Claim of Stolen Election
When campaigning for the 2022 United States Senate special election in Oklahoma, Mullin supported the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
March 8, 2023: Accusations and Spat During Senate Hearing
On March 8, 2023, Mullin accused Teamsters president Sean O'Brien of "intimidation" during a Senate HELP Committee hearing, leading to a heated exchange where Mullin told O'Brien to "shut your mouth".
