Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin promised to senators Tuesday that his department will always follow the law—or his interpretation of it, at least. In his first appearance before his former colleagues since taking over DHS two months ago, Mullin refused to commit to complying with court rulings that find the agency acted illegally, Politico reports. "If we didn't think courts were politicized, then I would probably be able to answer that," the former senator from Oklahoma said. "But we see courts over and over again that use their bench for their political opinion, not just the rule of law."
That stance drew sharp pushback from Sen. Chris Murphy, the ranking Democrat on the panel overseeing DHS funding. Murphy said even GOP-appointed judges have found the department out of line, claiming DHS has failed to comply with nearly 100 court orders this year. He tied that record to the bitter fight over agency funding, which helped trigger the year's record-setting shutdown. "It is very hard for us to figure out how to fund an agency that is violating the law," Murphy said, calling the question of court compliance central to the standoff.
Democratic senators also accused Mullin of recklessly spending billions of dollars and said he had failed to moderate immigration enforcement after Kristi Noem's controversial tenure as DHS chief, the AP reports. Sen. Patty Murray criticized what she called an "insane" threat to pull US Customs and Border Protection officers from jurisdictions deemed "sanctuary cities." The move would "spell economic crisis for blue and red states," she said. During the hearing, Mullin didn't address the suggestion, which has been criticized by the travel industry and even Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. "We shouldn't shut down air travel in a state that doesn't agree with our politics," Duffy said last week.
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