Former New York congressman Peter King is calling for the swift confirmation of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead the Department of Homeland Security, telling Newsmax that the U.S. faces heightened threats that demand urgent, nonpartisan action.
Speaking Thursday on "Bianca Across the Nation," King said Mullin is well suited to head the agency and deserves approval without delay.
"Markwayne Mullin should be confirmed as quickly as possible," King said. "I worked with him in the House of Representatives."
"He's an outstanding person. He's strong, and whatever particulars he may not know, he will rely on the experts."
King described Mullin as a leader who would prioritize substance over politics, emphasizing that decisions at DHS must be grounded in intelligence and facts.
"There will be no personalities involved here," he said. "This will be very hard-driven, fact-based decisions made by Secretary Mullin."
Mullin moved a step closer to becoming President Donald Trump's next Homeland Security secretary after a Senate committee Thursday narrowly advanced his nomination.
The 8-7 vote came after a contentious hearing Wednesday and sent the Cabinet nomination to the full Senate, which could act to confirm the Oklahoma Republican next week.
That vote included a "no" from the Republican chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and a "yes" from a Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
The approval comes as the parties are fighting bitterly over DHS policies, leading to a funding lapse that has reached 34 days.
King also took aim at Democrat resistance to the nomination, saying partisan disputes have no place in national security matters.
"To me, there's never a time for politics when it comes to security," King said, reflecting on his experience representing New York during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"We lost so many friends and neighbors, and even today, people are still suffering from 9/11-related illnesses."
King warned that current global conditions, including tensions with Iran and what he described as reduced intelligence capabilities, make the need for strong DHS leadership even more urgent.
"Now more than ever, we're at war with Iran, and there have been so many cutbacks in recent years on intelligence that we don't know what we don't know," he said.
He called for bolstering key elements of the nation's security apparatus, including missile defense systems, airport screening, and cybersecurity operations.
"More than ever, we need the interceptors, we need the TSA, and we need the cyber people at Homeland Security," King said, stressing the importance of coordination with agencies such as the FBI and local law enforcement.
King also pointed to recent incidents as evidence of increasing vulnerability, including cases involving individuals who traveled overseas and allegedly returned with the capability to carry out sophisticated attacks.
"There's more vulnerability than we've seen in the last two weeks for terrorist-inspired attacks," he said, noting one case involving "a fairly sophisticated bomb."
"We need Homeland Security more than ever," King added.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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