The Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday night, the 38th day of the department’s partial shutdown.
The Senate confirmed Republican Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as DHS Secretary the same day the administration sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to airports to assist with security while thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees work unpaid through the shutdown. There has been little movement in negotiations over Democrats’ demands to reform the department’s law enforcement policies despite some bipartisan meetings on Capitol Hill the previous week.
The upper chamber voted 54-45 with two Democrats, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, joining Republicans to push Mullin’s nomination over the finish line. Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voted “no” with the rest of the Democratic Caucus.
“I’ve depended on Markwayne as a colleague and friend during his 3 years here in the United States Senate. And I’m profoundly sorry to lose him, but the Senate’s loss is the Department of Homeland Security’s gain,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the floor ahead of Mullin’s Monday confirmation. “I want to thank Markwayne for his service here in the Senate and wish him the very best as he continues to serve our country at DHS. And I hope whoever gets assigned to his security detail is ready to keep up.”
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