Republicans and Democrats responded to President Trump's public firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with essentially the same emotion: relief.

Why it matters: The initial bipartisan consensus has already evaporated.

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune welcomed the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as "a fresh set of eyes and fresh approach."
• Thune, saying Mullin is "pretty well vetted around here," promised a speedy confirmation.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will oppose Mullin's nomination and continue to demand changes at the DHS — which is on Day 19 of a shutdown — before releasing any funds.

• "This is a problem of policy, not personnel. The rot is deep," Schumer said.

Zoom out: Congressional Republicans — along with the White House — were somewhere between exasperated and angry over Noem's tenure at the department.

• 🤠 Trump wasn't a "happy cowboy" over her most recent Senate appearance on Tuesday, said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). She faced harsh questions from Kennedy and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
• ❤️ And Mullin is one of their own. "The president asked me what I thought about him, and I told him that I was very fond of Markwayne. I think he's smart," Kennedy said.

👀 What we're watching: Mullin's nomination will land in the Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

• Mullin called him a "freaking snake" last month.
• But one of the panel's Democrats, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), announced that he will support Mullin.
• "I want to work together," Fetterman said.

The intrigue: House Speaker Mike Johnson, ever worried about his thin majority, called Oklahoma's governor and asked him not to pick one of his GOP members to replace Mullin, assuming his confirmation.

• "We can't lose anyone," Johnson said.

The bottom line: Noem's departure provided some drama in the Senate, with Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) reading Trump's Truth Social post to his colleagues live during a closed-door lunch.

• But it hasn't altered the shutdown dynamic. Senate Democrats blocked a bill today to fund DHS, and workers are going without pay.
• 💰 "I'm not going to vote for $1 more for that agency as long as they are body-slamming American citizens, barging into American homes without warrants or murdering Americans," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said.

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— Hans Nichols, Stephen Neukam and Kate Santaliz

Attorney General Pam Bondi may suffer the most collateral damage from Noem's firing, with congressional Democrats now saying it gives them space to focus their criticism and scrutiny squarely on her.

Why it matters: Bondi has already faced intense flak from Congress over her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, with lawmakers in both parties accusing her of being insufficiently transparent.

• Five Republicans on the House Oversight Committee voted with Democrats yesterday to subpoena Bondi to testify about the Epstein matter.
• And Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) introduced articles of impeachment today against Bondi, charging her with obstruction of Congress and dereliction of duty for withholding documents in the Epstein case.
• A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on the impeachment measure.

💬 What they're saying: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, when asked about Noem's ouster at a press conference, name-checked Bondi and White House adviser Stephen Miller as the two who have "got to go" next.

• 💥 "We're going to approach those two toxic individuals with the same intensity that has now led to the termination of Kristi Noem," he said.
• House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told us: "Look, there's a culture of lawlessness and chaos in the Cabinet and Noem was a big part of it, but Bondi is a central part of it, and she's been at the heart of the Epstein cover-up."
• "Pam Bondi is the most high-profile member of the Cabinet that is involved in corruption, so I think a lot of folks are going to look at that," said Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).

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— Andrew Solender

Johnson wants Rep. Tony Gonzales to abandon his reelection bid ahead of a May 26 runoff — but he won't go as far as to say the Texas Republican should resign.

Why it matters: Johnson is treading a delicate line aimed at protecting his razor-thin majority after Gonzales' admission that he did, in fact, engage in a relationship with his staffer.

• Johnson described Gonzales' resignation as a political "death penalty" to reporters this afternoon, hours after he and his leadership team called on the Texan to exit the race.

🚘 Driving the news: Gonzales had denied the affair for months, but admitted to it last night on the "Unshaken and Unafraid With Joe Pags" YouTube show.

• Relationships between members of Congress and their staff are prohibited under the House Code of Official Conduct.
• Johnson and his fellow leaders today urged the Ethics Committee — which yesterday formally launched an investigation into Gonzales — to act "expeditiously."

Catch up quick: Gonzales has been under intensifying scrutiny — and faced calls from GOP colleagues to resign — since the San Antonio Express-News reported that he had an affair with his former regional director, Regina Santos-Aviles.

• Santos-Aviles died last year after setting herself on fire outside her Uvalde home.

The speaker and his leadership team said they'd urged Gonzales "to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues."

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— Kate Santaliz