Overview
- Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, won confirmation Monday night 54-45, with Democrats John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich voting yes and Republican Rand Paul voting no.
- The Department of Homeland Security remains in a partial shutdown that began in mid-February after the killings of two U.S. citizens during Minneapolis enforcement operations.
- At his confirmation hearing last week, Mullin said agents would seek judicial warrants before entering homes or businesses, a change Democrats have made a core demand in funding negotiations.
- The funding lapse has strained operations, with unpaid TSA staff calling out or quitting and airport security lines growing longer, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection continue under separate appropriations.
- Senate talks have picked up, but President Trump is pushing to tie any DHS deal to his SAVE America Act on voter ID, a position that negotiators say is slowing a compromise.