Chairman Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) broke with fellow Republicans and voted against Mullin. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) crossed party lines and voted in favor, giving Mullin the support he needed to move forward.
Senate Republicans are now expected to bring the nomination to the full Senate early next week.
The committee vote followed a tense confirmation hearing that focused on border security, DHS funding, FEMA, and Mullin’s past conduct.
Paul sharply confronted Mullin over remarks tied to a 2017 assault that left the Kentucky senator with “six broken ribs” and a “damaged lung.” Paul said he was “struck in the back” and sent “nearly 10 feet down the hill.”
He told Mullin, “I was shocked that you would justify and celebrate this violent assault,” and questioned whether someone who “applauds violence against their political opponents is the right person” to lead DHS.
Mullin pushed back on that charge. “I don’t think anybody should be hit by surprise. I don’t like that,” he said.
“As secretary of Homeland, I’ll be protecting everybody,” Mullin said. He added that the position is “bigger than the partisan bickering that we have.”
After the hearing, Paul said Mullin was ‘unfit’ to lead DHS.
Mullin urged Congress to fully fund DHS. He warned lawmakers they were “playing with fire” by withholding money during conflict with Iran and after recent apparent lone-wolf terrorist attacks in the United States.
He later called the funding fight “political theater” and said it was “unconscionable” to let DHS workers go without pay.
On immigration, Mullin said he wants a more practical approach with local officials. “I would like to go in there and talk to the mayors,” he said. “I‘d like to go in there and talk to the sheriffs, talk to the chiefs, say, ’What are your concerns?’”
He also said he would restructure FEMA rather than eliminate it.
Fetterman made clear during the hearing that border security played a major role in his decision to support Mullin.
“Americans don’t like chaos,” Fetterman said. He pointed to what he described as unsustainable conditions at the southern border, saying there had been “up to 300,000 encounters at our border once a month” and that “that’s not sustainable, and that’s not manageable.”
He also backed tougher enforcement. “We [should] round up and deport every single criminal in our nation,” Fetterman said.
After the vote, Fetterman explained his support in a post on X.
“In January, I called on the president to fire Noem—and he did,” Fetterman wrote. “I truly approached the confirmation of my colleague and friend, Senator Mullin, with an open-mind. We need a leader at DHS. We must reopen DHS. My AYE is rooted in a strong committed, constructive working relationship with Senator Mullin for our nation’s security.”
If confirmed, Mullin would replace DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on March 31.
Mullin also picked up outside support. National Border Patrol Council President Paul A. Perez said the group has “no doubt that Senator Mullin is the right person to lead DHS.” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien also backed him, saying, “If anyone is willing to stand their butt up to protect America, it’s Markwayne Mullin.”
The committee vote gives Mullin a boost heading into a full Senate vote, even as Paul continues opposing him.