Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s appearance on Capitol Hill devolved into a yelling match, prompting the Republican chairman to angrily admonish the top Trump official.
Mullin, who served as a member of Congress before being tapped to replace Kristi Noem in the Trump Cabinet, was testifying before a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee when he got in a combative exchange with Democratic Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro.
The Connecticut congresswoman was speaking about how it was the first Trump administration’s policy to separate children from their families at the U.S. border when Mullin interrupted her remarks from the witness chair to make a snide remark about the Biden administration.
“Let me just say this to you, sir, again it is my time,” DeLauro said. “3,900 children were separated from their families—"
The congresswoman tried to continue, but Mullin cut in again to lob further accusations against the Biden administration.
“450,000 kids were lost during the Biden administration, and you didn’t say a word about it,” the secretary shot back.
DeLauro was not having the repeated interruptions and began to angrily point her finger at Mullin.
“Mr. Secretary, do not interrupt,” DeLauro warned.
“Don’t you point your finger at me,” Mullin shot back. “Don’t be a hypocrite.”
“I will point my finger at you,” DeLauro fumed.
“Don’t you be a hypocrite then,” Mullin lectured. “You should be as upset about the 450,000 kids were lost.”
“I am upset,” the lawmaker yelled.
“You didn’t say a word about it,” Mullin accused her. “For four years, you never said a word!”
The figure Mullin referred to has been one that Trump administration officials have repeatedly used to criticize the Biden administration. However, it is not accurate to say 450,000 children were “lost.”
The number refers to all unaccompanied children who came into the U.S. between 2019 and 2023, including during the first Trump and Biden administrations, and ICE did not start court cases for roughly 300,000 of them.
DeLauro tried to continue on Thursday, but the pair were speaking over each other.
“Could you put him in his place?” DeLauro finally said, turning to subcommittee Chairman Mark Amodei.
“You should be put in your place,” Mullin shot back.
Mullin was the latest in a series of Trump officials to opt for a combative approach on Capitol Hill and hurl insults in the face of Democrats’ criticism. But his approach did not sit well with the top Republican, who turned back to the DHS secretary with a warning, as he also pointed a finger at Mullin.
“Mr. Secretary, if you would like four minutes for a closing statement when everybody’s done, I’ll give you that, but while members are on their eight minutes, I need them to have their eight minutes,” Amodei said.
Mullin said he appreciated that, but nonetheless went on to complain that “they say this for soundbites,” prompting DeLauro to cut in and ask, “What did you just recently do for soundbites?”
She began to respond to Mullin’s earlier criticism, but Amodei interjected.
“We are going to have something resembling order here,” he said, banging his gavel.
“The time is the ranking member’s. If you would like to respond later on, there are methods to do that, but it’s not a who can talk louder into the mic,” he said, turning back to Mullin.
“I will not let her sit there and lie and accuse something this ridiculous,” Mullin complained.
“This is the legislative branch, and it’s my hearing, and so I’m going to try to some extent to control it moderately, thank you,” Amodei lectured him sharply.
DeLauro turned to Mullin and told him not to accuse her of lying, arguing that she said before there’s concern for children across the board.
“We care deeply about what’s happening to children,” she insisted. “And I went to the border, and I watched children in those fenced-in places years ago, and what was happening to them. So I have a long history, Mr. Secretary, in this area,” she said.
She went on to discuss the Trump budget cuts, blast ICE officers harassing Americans, and lament TSA agents not being paid during the shutdown as the Trump administration remained in a standoff with Democrats over ICE funding, even as Democrats separately pushed for legislation to keep paying TSA agents.
DeLauro went on to ask Mullin about the administration’s push to roll back TSA labor protections, but he seized on her shutdown comments instead, claiming, “We didn’t shut them down, you shut them down.”
“Answer my question,” DeLauro yelled.
“I did,” Mullin said. “Ma’am, I answered your question. You’re the ones who shut them down. It was a Democrats’ shutdown.”
DeLauro turned back to the chairman, clearly fed up as she vented, “These people come to us to get funding.”
But Mullin spoke over her again as he insisted he was “factually correct.”
Mullin claimed he was answering the question. DeLauro pointed out that he had not, and Amodei was exasperated over the pair speaking over each other.
“I thought you said you answered it,” he pointed out. “The floor is hers.”
Mullin tried to cut in again, but the Republican chair shut him down.
“Actually, I gave it to her,” he said, gesturing to DeLauro. “You know there is a chairman of a committee. That’s me. I gave it back to her. She’s got it,” he said.
