Committee advances Mullin’s DHS secretary nomination

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination for Homeland Security secretary advanced out of committee Thursday, setting it up for a full Senate vote.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted mostly along party lines to move Mullin’s nomination forward to replaced Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Donald Trump.

The panel met for just three minutes and voted 8 to 7. Despite intense questioning and doubts raised about Mullin during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing, only Democratic ranking member Sen. Gary Peters spoke before the vote.

“When I heard President Trump would be nominating Senator Mullen, I kept an open mind. However, throughout the nomination process, he has failed to be forthright and transparent,” Peters said.

Committee chair Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against Mullin after the two engaged in a fiery exchange on Wednesday.

Sen. John Fetterman crossed party lines to support Mullin. In a post on X, he wrote in part, “My AYE is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security.”

A full Senate vote has not been scheduled yet but may take place next week, ahead of when the president said Noem would step down on the 31st.