Mullin suggests feds won't cover election costs for states that don't reform

Mullin made the remarks during a Friday press conference that followed President Donald Trump's primetime address in which he announced the declassification of documents outlining election integrity failures.

Published: July 17, 2026 12:32pm

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin on Friday said that the federal government may not reimburse states for the costs of holding elections if they failed to crackdown on election integrity.

Mullin made the remarks during a Friday press conference that followed President Donald Trump's primetime address in which he announced the declassification of documents outlining election integrity failures.

"We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant, and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they're gonna have to implement security issues," he said.

Those measures include the scrubbing of the voter rolls and the securing of voting machines.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.

The Facts Inside Our Reporter's Notebook

Unlock unlimited access

  • No Ads Within Stories
  • No Autoplay Videos
  • VIP access to exclusive Just the News newsmaker events hosted by John Solomon and his team.
  • Support the investigative reporting and honest news presentation you've come to enjoy from Just the News.
  • Just the News Spotlight

    Support Just the News