Overview
- Markwayne Mullin won Senate confirmation Monday night in a 54–45 vote, with Democrats John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich backing him and Republican Rand Paul voting no.
- DHS has lacked full funding since February 14, leaving more than 100,000 employees unpaid and straining airports as TSA absences grow and ICE personnel are shifted to help at checkpoints.
- Democrats have tied a funding deal to stricter limits on immigration raids, and Mullin has pledged judicial warrants for most home entries and a less front-line role for ICE.
- The White House said it waited for Mullin to be confirmed before bringing him fully into budget talks, positioning him to join negotiations over money and enforcement changes.
- Senators scrutinized his temperament and disputed military-service claims during hearings, and he apologized for calling Minnesota shooting victim Alex Pretti “disturbed.”