Senate Advances

• The U.S. Senate voted to agree to a cloture motion on March 22, 2026, advancing the nomination of Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to be Secretary of Homeland Security, with the motion requiring only a simple majority to proceed. • The vote included bipartisan support, with Democratic senators including Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Padilla of California voting yes, while other Democrats like Schiff of California and Bennet of Colorado voted no. • Mullin's confirmation comes amid ongoing negotiations over DHS funding and border security policies during the current government shutdown.

If approved on Monday, as expected, Mullin would replace Kristi Noem, whom Trump fired in early MarchDonald Trump’s nomination of Republican senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to be the president’s next head of homeland security on Sunday advanced toward final confirmation after the US Senate voted 54-37 to limit debate on the appointment.The confirmation vote could come sometime on Monday. If approved, as expected, Mullin would replace Kristi Noem, whom Trump fired from the role of homeland security secretary on 5 March. Continue reading...

Republican senator’s nomination will now be considered by full Senate, where the GOP appears poised to confirm himSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA key Senate committee on Thursday advanced Markwayne Mullin’s nomination to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on a near party line vote, a day after the Republican senator faced questions at his confirmation hearing about his approach to Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda and accusations of encouraging violence.Nearly all eight Republicans on the Senate committee on homeland security and governmental affairs voted to advance Mullin’s nomination, with the sole exception of the panel’s chair, Rand Paul of Kentucky, who the day prior had harshly criticized his colleague for comments he made about a neighbor who assaulted Paul in 2017, and an incident six years later in which Mullin readied himself to fight a witness at a committee hearing. Continue reading...