High Stakes Battle on Capitol Hill

With the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives in session, Capitol Hill was a hotbed of activity today. Senator Markwayne Mullin’s (OK) confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took place. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s hearing on national security also began.

Let’s start with the intelligence briefing. Gabbard appeared alongside top officials from the CIA, FBI, and other agencies to present the annual threat assessment. The subject matter is incredibly serious: threats to the homeland, global instability, and what the President is being told behind closed doors.

Gabbard’s testimony outlined how pressure campaigns and ongoing conflict have significantly weakened Iran’s strategic position, even as the regime itself remains in place:

The IC assesses that Operation Epic Fury is advancing fundamental change in the region that began with Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and continued with the 12-day war last year, resulting in weakening Iran and its proxies. The IC assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact, but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities. Its conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed, leaving limited options. Iran’s strategic position has been significantly degraded. The U.S.-led maximum pressure campaign and snapback of European sanctions added additional pressure to an already bleak Iranian economy, resulting in mass protests earlier this year that Tehran suppressed by killing thousands of protesters. Even if the regime remains intact, the IC assesses that internal tensions are likely to increase as Iran’s economy worsens.

Gabbard warned about evolving threats – not just traditional warfare, but information operations and propaganda campaigns that are reaching Americans directly through social media. That’s happening every day, on platforms that people scroll without a second thought.

Now overlay that with what’s happening here at home, where we’ve got a DHS – the very agency tasked with protecting the homeland – operating without full funding. And we’re seeing the effects in real life: airport delays, TSA backups, and a workforce having to show up and try to keep us safe in the skies without pay.

And right in the middle of that, you have Senator Markwayne Mullin sitting before the Senate, making the case that he should be the one to lead that agency. To his credit, Mullin struck a tone today that was less combative than his reputation might suggest. He acknowledged the “political theater” of Washington but emphasized something more practical: the need to get people paid and get the department fully operational.

As Mullin said:

We have 280,000 DHS employees right now that are on Day 30 without pay, and they’re still showing up every single day to do their job. That is a dedicated group of people. And we should all be proud of them. We should all be working together, and we should all be trying to fund them. So I pray, seriously, I pray that we can get past this. . . . I get some of it’s got to be political theater. I understand it. I’ve had to really pray about my attitude. But I will say, once it’s over, I hope we can work together and get them funded. So when I walk in, if I’m fortunate enough to be confirmed, if I walk in as Secretary, that these guys are ready to go to work Day One.

Of course, Sen. Mullin’s past comments, including personal tensions with Sen. Rand Paul (KY), quickly resurfaced. What followed was less about policy and more about character, with both men digging in. It’s a disappointing reminder that even in moments of national consequence, Washington doesn’t easily set aside its personal and political conflicts. And that’s never productive for the American people.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included more analysis of the hearings happening on Capitol Hill today. We were also joined by the head of ACLJ Jerusalem, Jeff Ballabon, to discuss how New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used St. Patrick’s Day to spew his political rhetoric and essentially defend Palestinian terror and antisemitism, enigmatically equating that to Irish rebellion.

Watch the full broadcast below: