Senate advances Mullin nomination to lead DHS, paving way for confirmation | Trump administration
Donald Trump’s nomination Sunday of Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, to be the president’s homeland security chief moved toward final confirmation after the U.S. Senate voted 54-37 to limit debate on the appointment.
The confirmation vote could come as soon as Monday. If confirmed as expected, Mullin would replace Kristi Noem, who Trump fired as homeland security secretary on March 5.
Mullin’s confirmation was all but assured on Thursday when the Senate homeland security and governmental affairs committee voted to send the report to the full chamber, despite opposition from the panel chairman, Kentucky senator Rand Paul, a member of Trump’s Republican party. Paul met with six Democrats who voted against advancing Mullin’s nomination, particularly over concerns about allegations that the candidate encouraged political violence.
Pennsylvania Democratic senator John Fetterman joined seven Republicans on the committee to advance Mullin’s nomination to the full chamber.
On Sunday, Fetterman and fellow Democratic senator from New Mexico, Martin Heinrich, voted with Republicans to limit debate on Mullin’s appointment. Paul was among nine senators who did not participate in the vote. The remaining eight were Democrats: Cory Booker of New Jersey, Chris Coons of Delaware, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Gary Peters of Michigan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.
If approved, Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, would be the second Native American to serve as a member of the presidential cabinet.
