"He needs to go": Fetterman's fellow Democrats rage over his vote on Mullin for DHS
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Sen. Fetterman cast deciding vote for Mullin's DHS confirmation, prompting Democratic colleagues to call for his removal.
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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) cast the deciding vote on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin's nomination for DHS Secretary, voting 8-7 with all other Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul opposed. Fellow Democrats, including Reps. Brendan Boyle and Pat Ryan of Pennsylvania and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, are openly calling for his removal, with Boyle explicitly stating "He needs to go" in a post on X. Fetterman defended the vote by saying he needed a leader at DHS and credited his working relationship with Mullin, but the backlash marks an unusually explicit moment of Democratic frustration with a senator who has shifted rightward since his 2022 election as a progressive. The vote reflects Fetterman's pattern of recent rightward movement, including support for Israel and cooperation with Republicans, which has alienated his former base.
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