Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke with the Norman Chamber of Commerce about the administration of President Donald Trump and his support of Trump’s agenda.
The Chamber’s meeting with Senator Mullin was part of their annual Washington Fly-in event.
Mullin discussed DOGE cuts, returning power to the states, and the important roles he and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Dist. 4) have on their respective committees. Mullin said Trump’s administration is focused on “getting bureaucracy out of Washington, D.C., and returning power to the states.”
“The President wants to get it closer to the communities and let you guys make decisions on what’s best for your community,” Mullin told the delegation. “You know, it’s very difficult for people up here in Washington, DC to know what’s going on in Norman. They don’t.”
Mullin said the federal offices were too big and removed from the lives of those they are intended to serve.
“It’s kind of like the Department of Ag,” Mullin said. “The Department of Ag covers two city blocks and most of those people have never been kicked by a horse, much less have crap on their boots, and they’re trying to tell us how to run our places. They’re too far removed.”
Mullin addressed the DOGE cuts, which have pushed approximately 1,300 federal employees at Tinker, AFB into early retirement, as well as have laid off workers at Normans Weather Center. Although the layoffs are in Oklahoma, Mullin said the cuts are to give power to the states.
“We’re trying to push it closer to the states and allow the states to handle that, that’s the whole point of what we’re doing, and what DOGE is about,” Mullin told them, according to a release.
Mullin told the Norman Chamber delegates not to chase DOGE cut “rumors.”
“Now talking about DOGE, here’s what I tell all the different chambers that’s coming up here… don’t chase a rumor,” Mullin said.
Mullin said his connections to the current administration are deep and that he has “good relationships” with them, allowing him to get answers on behalf of the Chamber’s delegates.
“I’ve got a great relationship with the President,” Mullin said. “I’ve also got an outstanding relationship with Pete Hegseth, who I consider a friend. I consider the President a friend. In fact, just about any nominee that’s out there, I promise you, or a Secretary out there, I have their cell phone, and all of them I have great relationships with… I can find out the answer. So, before you go and chase a rumor, just have someone call me and let’s ask about it. Let’s find out.”
Mullin lauded the downsizing of the Department of Transportation at the federal level, saying that the money at that level will be awarded to the states on the basis of “how they voted.”
“With transportation, I can tell you, Sean Duffy, they’re shrinking the size of the Department of Transportation too, just like they’re doing this stuff with the Department of Ed, and it’s not that the money is going to go away. It’s that we feel like if we can get it closer to the state with transportation working with ODOT, rather than having some person in Washington, D.C. decide where the grants are going to go based on how the state voted.”
“So, with all this, it’s about pushing it closer to the state. The President says over and over again, he wants the dollar to go further.”
Mullin, who is on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he works closely with Tom Cole, a longstanding member of the House Appropriations Committee.
“Tom and I will work closely together with it… I felt like we could be more helpful being on Approps… With Tom there, we have real opportunities to get this stuff funded… If we’re going to be in this spot, I want to be as effective as possible. And I felt like that was a positive move for us. So, all these infrastructure projects, I’m well aware of them, and we’ll continue to try carrying them, to fight for them, with you guys.”