Who?
Secretary Markwayne Mullin — Department of Homeland Security
Where?
House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee
LISTEN: Mullin before DHS Appropriations Subcommittee
Key Mullin:
“I’m not a soccer fan. I had never been to a soccer game before until LA and our opening day on the 12th of June. I loved it,” Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified at the Capitol this week. “It’s like becoming a NASCAR fan, watching it on TV isn’t as fun as being there in person, and being there in person was something to experience.”
Caught our ear:
“Now I find myself watching it all the time in evenings. I’m even going back through and speeding through games and it’s pretty exciting,” Mullin tells us.
Below find a rough transcript of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin testifying before the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Secretary Markwayne Mullin (6-25-2026)
SCENE: During a testy hearing before the House Homeland Security Appropriations — or spending — Subcommittee, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin offered an unexpectedly candid confession about the World Cup his department is helping protect.
Secretary Markwayne Mullin: “I’m not a soccer fan. I had never been to a soccer game before until LA and our opening day on the 12th of June. I loved it.
“It’s like becoming a NASCAR fan, watching it on TV isn’t as fun as being there in person, and being there in person was something to experience.
“And so now I find myself watching it all the time in evenings. I’m even going back through and speeding through games, and it’s pretty exciting.”
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