U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin: Policies and Intra-Party Dynamics
"I am actually tired because of the way he operates.”
Senator Markwayne Mullin opened his time at a large (106 attended) McGrath Breakfast Group in Tulsa with warm, self-deprecating humor on Valentine’s Day. He was traveling with his wife, Christy, whom his team jokes could beat him handily if she ever ran for office due to her popularity and his state director, Caleb, for reliably “picking up the sticks” when their schedule collapses. He noted that in the past year, two-thirds of his in-state events were canceled because “if the president calls, you go.” Mullin and Christy have been married for twenty-eight years.
Mullin bragged about a milestone: a grandbaby is on the way, they learned last week it’s a boy. His son intends to name the baby after him. As a father of six, Mullin loves a full, chaotic home.
He detailed President Trump’s tireless pace: late-night and pre-dawn calls back-and-forth (including texts at 1:00 a.m. and a call before 6:00 a.m.), and only once (at 8:00 a.m.) did he ever catch the President asleep—after an all-night Votarama when Mullin himself had not slept.
Mullin typically sleeps four to five hours, sometimes two or three in D.C., and fears being called in his first hour of sleep when he’s “dead to the world.” He recounted answering a 4:30 a.m. call from “DJT,” while less than conscious, and later being teased—“You’ll never know”—when he asked about whatever he said.
“It’s been a short year if you really think about the last twelve months. The difference in the way the country feels, the border, public safety, and economy. The difference in how foreign policy has reshaped. The way President Trump handles that and puts good people in place is remarkable. But it also puts us all on notice because I am tired. And I don’t normally get tired but I am actually tired because of the way he operates,” Mullin said.
Legislative Process and Intra-Party Dynamics
Senator Mullin used a pointed audience question to explain the complexity of appropriation votes and “Votarama” mechanics.
He said the President wanted appropriation bills passed, but in Votarama any amendment can be offered; if any amendment passes on a House-originated bill, it kills the bill and restarts the process with renegotiation.
“The question is why did I vote to give illegals more money? I didn’t. The president made it very clear he wanted appropriation bills passed. If any amendment passes, it kills the whole bill. Rand Paul’s amendment sounds good, right? The problem is Rand knew that if that bill passed, it would kill the other eleven appropriation bills, which would throw us into the shutdown. Rand doesn’t ever vote with [Republicans] when it comes to appropriation bills. I had to vote against it because if that would have passed, not only would it have killed the bill, but it would also have killed the farm bill which is tied to social programs. If you change the ratio (about 70/30) you must redo the entire farm bill.
“What Rand was trying to do was trying to kill the farm bill because he’s trying to legalize hemp for drinks in Kentucky because of tobacco industry shifts. There is always a backstory,” Mullin said.
“I respect Bernie Sanders because he’s an open socialist, and you know that he’s a communist so you know what you’re getting. Rand Paul’s a freaking snake. And I understand completely why his neighbor did what he did. And I told him that to his face. It stirred people up like Cheryl, who don’t know the backstory. And then that night Rand sends out a fundraising letter on it. It’s a gimmick,” Mullin added.
Mullin urged Republicans to avoid self-inflicted wounds, warning that purity fights and labeling others “RINO” distract from larger stakes like court packing if Democrats regain control, and potentially two years spent defending against impeachment if they take the midterms.
He said Speaker Mike Johnson’s biggest challenge is fending off a motion to vacate, with four Republicans—including problem child Thomas Massey—pursuing it. The President fears that House chaos guarantees losing the chamber. Mullin observed that Angus King, an independent, votes with Republicans on funding priorities more often than Rand Paul. He emphasized tactical unity and tailored candidate selection: a Republican from Oklahoma differs from one in California, but a Republican vote is still preferable to any Democrat’s vote, which he said would oppose them “100 percent.”
On campaign realities, he cited David Valadao’s success in a D+10 California district and repudiated a claim that three Oklahoma Republicans voted to impeach President Trump, stating explicitly that Oklahoma Representative Stephanie Bice did not. He argued the President’s endorsements reflect such facts, noting the only person not opposed after voting to impeach was Valadao due to district conditions.
Judicial Reform, Election Integrity, and Human Trafficking
Mullin then turned to judicial overreach: liberal district judges issuing nationwide stays against presidential executive orders. He questioned whether district judges can bind the entire country, noting the Supreme Court has indicated skepticism but has not issued a formal ruling. He said this issue has surged in the last twenty years. Prior to Obama, district judges did this nine times total. In President Trump’s first year, “they’ve already done it sixty-four times.” He described judges increasingly acting preemptively without cases or rulings, making it a “huge issue” absent clear case law.
He outlined two pathways: internal judicial remedies and legislation. The Supreme Court has put district judges “on notice,” and Chief Justice leadership is exploring internal orders for accountability. The Court is considering whether legislative underpinning is needed. Senator Mike Lee believes legislation will be required to redefine lifetime appointments beyond impeachment for high crimes, treason, or bribes, to include ruling outside constitutional authority; Lee is working with Lindsey Graham, though drafting such a bill will be “very, very difficult.”
On human trafficking, Mullin cautioned against Washington’s tendency to overreact. He cited a major initiative targeting online trafficking (e.g., Backpage) that inadvertently drove traffickers into private communications, complicating law enforcement tracking. He advocated coordinated, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement partnerships, noting Melania Trump’s special interest and a task force cooperating directly with law enforcement.
Regarding election integrity and voter ID (the Save Act), Mullin stated that thirty-seven states require voter ID, including Oklahoma; the thirteen without it went for Biden/Harris. He argued voter ID does not suppress votes, referencing Alabama’s increased participation after adoption. Real ID can serve as citizenship proof at registration, avoiding repeat proof at the polling place; once registered, voters show ID at precinct to verify identity.
He expects the bill to come to a vote soon, predicting 51 votes (possibly 50 or 52), while acknowledging it won’t pass a filibuster without 60. He said Mitch McConnell and Lisa Murkowski oppose it; Susan Collins is expected to support the bill.
Mullin explained the risks of reviving the talking filibuster, unused in a hundred years, which hands floor control to the minority, enables endless amendments, but requires 51 senators on-call for quorum calls, and can lock the Senate for months; the last instance lasted four months. He cautioned that many hard-won amendments could be re-fought in an election year and that the only escape could be a “nuclear” procedural end to floor activity.
Economic Development and Impact in Oklahoma
Tulsa County Commissioner Kelly Dunkerley discussed a recent federal grant. Mullin explained that Secretary Noem paused all FEMA grants during the transition to review DEI-linked projects from the prior administration. A phone call from Mullin on this Tulsa project helped resolve a nationwide hold-up, leading to the first funds flowing to Oklahoma; he stressed the importance of accessibility to local leaders because sometimes problems can be solved with a call.
He described data centers as strategically vital, with Oklahoma centrally positioned. Mullin highlighted Pryor’s Google data center which catalyzed dramatic local investment: Pryor High School now hosts JUCO World Series and national championship games, and the community benefits from advanced STEM facilities. While people worry about power consumption and utility rates, he stated Oklahoma has excess energy capacity and noted President Trump’s executive order two weeks ago requiring data centers that connect to the grid to provide surplus power—if a center needs “one gigabyte,” it must supply “1.2 gig to the grid.” He stressed that neighborhoods might change, but the transformation would bring jobs and keep families in-state, turning Oklahoma from a flyover state into a hub of economic activities.
Addressing environmental and energy details, Mullin said data center water would be reclaimed and reused up to ten times before any discharge to minimize impact. He cited a nuclear technology milestone: the first reactor in a program using nuclear waste for repowering has gone out for test—an approach the Chinese adopted since 1982 for ships and aircraft carriers—arguing it’s less volatile than conventional nuclear and more promising for Oklahoma’s energy strategy.
Mullin said the President’s executive order requires data centers to absorb their power costs, keep consumer rates unchanged, and develop plans to produce their own power while contributing excess to the grid. He emphasized the need for a strategic national data center plan to avoid fear-based local decisions, noting his recent meeting with Secretary Wright (energy) about such planning.
North Dakota is courting data centers using abundant natural gas; Oklahoma has gas and water and could partner with Western states rich in gas but water-poor. It is easier to pipe gas to Oklahoma than water to the West. He urged embracing this opportunity so Oklahoma’s children do not move to out of state for jobs.
The discussion also highlighted Cherokee Nation’s economic development: fourteen data centers across four thousand square miles, job creation, healthcare partnerships with the federal government to provide nurses and doctors, and an Opportunity Zone with thirty-two million dollars offering loans at about two percent for business expansion.
Appeal for Family, Faith, and Focus
Mullin closed with a sober appeal for unity and perspective. He warned that internal GOP fighting distracts from higher stakes—fighting “for the soul of our country”—including the risk of court packing and a House consumed with impeachment battles if Democrats regain control. He acknowledged frequent “RINO” accusations against him and urged constituents to seek the “behind-the-scenes story” on votes.
Senator Mullin asked for prayer, specifically for his wife and children, and articulated his priorities: God, family, then everybody else.
“It’s an honor to serve you guys. I love it. I wake up every single morning and I pray for you guys. I’d seriously do maybe not by name but overall. I have a saying, love the people, love the call. I adopted that [mantra] in 2016, and it changed my entire attitude towards serving you. It is an absolute honor,” Mullin concluded.
About the author: David Arnett’s beginning in print journalism was not planned in 1985 but covered by Rebecca Martin writing for the Columbia Journalism Review in 1987. After 11 years in print, he established TulsaToday online in 1996 and Straight Up on Substack in 2022 providing email subscriptions to the latest local news and opinion.
Thank you for reading. Your comments are welcome below and/or by email.
Great reporting, David.
This was the best article you have done, Mr. Arnett. I voted for Mr. Mullin, but have not been much of a fan as I did not like some of the things he had said which indicated that his focus on legislation was more of a "compromise" effort with moderate Republicans than the Conservative Firebrand he promised to be when he ran. We have the House, Senate, White House and yet we still can't get bills passed to make permanent many of President Trumps executive orders, which will be overturned if the Democrats come back to power. I get what Senator Mullin was saying, but I expected to see more leadership from him than what I have seen. Maybe we need someone who is not as easily exhausted by phone calls next time. Very enlightening article though.Great job, David!