Mullin faces DHS confirmation hearing amid shutdown, TSA staffing problems
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will face grilling from his Democratic colleagues during his confirmation hearing to lead the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. hearing comes amid a DHS funding shutdown that has led to TSA staffing shortages and huge travel delays.
White House reveals 5 DHS concessions for Dems in shutdown talks
President Donald Trump's administration presented five concessions it says it is willing to make in order to secure further funding for the Department of Homeland Security this week.
The White House released the list on Tuesday, though Democrats in Congress remain largely unmoved.
The concessions include expanding the use of body-worn cameras by DHS officers; limiting civil immigration enforcement activities at sensitive locations; Congressional oversight of DHS detention facilities; visible officer identification, and a pledge the DHS will not deport or detain any US citizen unless they are violating the law.
TSA officer blasts Congress over DHS shutdown, demands lawmakers 'leave their egos at the door'
Atlanta TSA officer George Borek urged Congress to solve the Department of Homeland Security's funding crisis "today," telling lawmakers to "leave their egos at the door."
Borek made the statement during a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox & Friends, interviewing with host Brian Kilmeade.
Kilmeade asked Borek directly who who blames for the shutdown and the TSA agents who are having to work without pay.
"I will say this: The people that have the responsibility of bringing this to an end can do it today," Borek said. "What they need to do is, you know, leave their egos at the door, get inside and come up with a solution to the problem."
"Because, we don't deserve this as TSA agents that are trying to keep the skies safe, but also the traveling public doesn't deserve this," he said, going on to cite examples where families with children have missed their cruise ships and connecting flights thanks to delays.
"Try explaining that to a six year old," he said.
Mullin faces Democrat grilling in first hurdle to lead DHS amid shutdown fight
Senate Democrats are set to grill Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, his first hurdle to becoming the next Homeland Security chief.
Mullin’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains shuttered over Democrats’ desire for stringent reforms to the agency’s immigration enforcement operations.
Senate Democrats on the panel plan to use those demands to gauge Mullin’s willingness to make changes at the agency. They have argued since current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's reassignment from the position that changes must go beyond a shift in personnel.
"He's made some pretty incendiary statements that reflect his resistance to reform and would make him unqualified, unless he has a clear explanation and even retraction," Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox News Digital.
When asked if he wanted guarantees on changes to the agency, Blumenthal said Mullin "needs to make commitments for reform."
"If he fails to make commitments to far-reaching and fundamental reform, he should be defeated and rejected," he said.
Mullin also has an icy relationship with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who chairs the committee. When asked how the hearing could go, Paul said, "Come tomorrow, and you’ll find out more."
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland committee, said that he plans to give Mullin a fair shake but has questions about his colleague’s views on how the agency could change with him at the helm.
"Certainly, I'd like to get his assessment of how he sees things currently and what he might change," Peters told Fox News Digital. "That would be a fair range of questions.
"Senate Republicans are sprinting to move Mullin through the process, given that President Donald Trump wants Mullin in and Noem out by March 31. The confirmation hearing is the first step, and despite Democratic resistance, Mullin will likely clear that hurdle and head for a full vote in the Senate later this month.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Alex Miller.
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