The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to be the next Homeland Security secretary, after the Oklahoma lawmaker clashed with committee Chair Rand Paul in a surprisingly tense Wednesday confirmation hearing.
The vote — eight senators voting in favor and seven against — fell mostly along party lines, with a notable vote swap. Paul, a Kentucky Republican, voted against advancing Mullin’s nomination as he had pledged to do Wednesday. Paul took Mullin to task in Wednesday’s hearing over past disparaging comments Mullin made against him and the nature of “special missions” he claimed to have taken as a member of the House.
Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania broke away from the other members of his party and voted to advance Mullin’s nomination.
Fetterman — who had previously indicated he’d back Mullin — justified his move in a social media post Thursday, saying: “We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My AYE is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security.”
Fetterman’s Democratic colleagues strongly disagreed with his stance. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the committee, said he tried to keep an “open mind” throughout the hearing, but argued Mullin lacked the experience and “temperament” to be DHS chief.
Paul offered no additional remarks about his vote at the markup Thursday.
