Trump desperately needed this. The trajectory of his administration could be different.
And Donald Trump just secured a massive win that could change everything.
The Senate committee just handed Sen. Markwayne Mullin a crucial victory in his bid to take charge of the Department of Homeland Security.
In a tight 8-7 decision on March 19, the nomination cleared the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee amid plenty of fireworks.
Committee Chairman Rand Paul broke ranks with fellow Republicans to vote no, but Democrat Sen. John Fetterman crossed the aisle and delivered the tie-breaking support to keep the process alive.
Senate GOP leaders are already lining up a full floor vote for early next week, ensuring this fighter for secure borders gets his shot before the American people.
Tensions boiled over at Wednesday’s confirmation hearing when Paul grilled Mullin about old comments related to a 2017 attack that resulted in Paul suffering “six broken ribs” and a “damaged lung.”
Paul stated to Mullin, “I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault.”
Mullin pushed back, stating, “I don’t think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don’t like that.”
Paul refused to drop the matter. The following day on television, he branded Mullin “unfit” to run the agency and hammered away at those old remarks on the assault along with questions about his overall approach.
Paul claimed Mullin had shown “his celebration of the violence that happened to me” and “his justification of the violence,” calling the comments “bizarre” and insisting they make “him unfit to lead federal law enforcement.”
When directly asked if he could back the pick, Paul shot back, “No.”
Fetterman cut through the noise with straight talk, warning that “Americans don’t like chaos.”
He demanded real enforcement, declaring “we [should] round up and deport every single criminal in our nation,” and made clear that “If you care about immigration, as I deeply do, you can’t possibly provide the American Dream” under the open-border disaster of the prior administration, treating strong border action as vital to keeping the nation safe.
Fetterman later explained his decision on X, writing: “In January, I called on the president to fire Noem—and he did.”
“I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open-mind.”
