Markwayne Mullin

Republican skepticism of President Trump’s agenda has reached a level unseen since he won the GOP presidential nomination last year.

Republican senators are confronting the Trump administration with a bevy of worries about the economic impacts of the president’s sweeping tariff strategy. In a Senate hearing and interviews with reporters this week, Republican skepticism of President Donald Trump’s agenda reached...

'Confident that they will deliver for President Trump'

Congressional Republicans are brushing off President Trump’s latest comments about seeking a third term, downplaying them as a joke designed to needle the media even as the president insists he is serious. Trump has teased the idea of a 2028 bid for years, remarks that were largely seen as an effort to mock his opponents. [...]

EXCLUSIVE: Republican senators are standing behind Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid calls for his resignation over the Signal chat leak, telling Fox News Digital that calls for him to be fired are “hot garbage."

In the two-plus months since returning to the White House, Trump has attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans and the Daytona 500 in Florida.

Experts say President Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" will need space-based radars, missile interceptors and laser weapons around the U.S. to defend the country from long-range assault.

A federal judge has for now halted efforts by the Trump administration to swiftly deport activist Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident who was a key figure in anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia University.

Oklahoma's high rates of STIs and teen birth rates aren't an accident. They are a direct result of policies denying students information needed to protect themselves, says Dr. Grant Cox.

One-size-fits-all mandates would strip local control and result in some schools being forced to cut crucial services like transportation, security and student meals, says Fort Gibson Superintendent Scott Farmer.

Oklahoma House members gave a message of solidarity for Rep. Provenzano; a show of love for another person in a time of so much hate and division, says Ginnie Graham.

We all have the power to make a difference. Speak up, stay informed and stay engaged. If you don’t, others will shape your future, says Kathy Taylor.

I sat in the recreation room of my cellblock on a recent February afternoon. Just a few feet away, confined to a wheelchair due to a leg injury, was Dominique Castile. He’s been incarcerated in New York for three years....

Oklahoma scored a D on the Oral Health report Card because of a high rate of untreated tooth decay and low number of children receiving preventive care, says Terrisa Singleton.

Congressional Cowards is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions.As President Donald Trump's pointless trade wars and devastating cuts to federal agencies raise fears of a painful recession, GOP lawmakers took to cable news this week to tell Americans that they need to accept a little hardship to let Trump get his way.Republicans have finally given up on lying to Americans about who pays the price for tariffs and have changed their approach by telling Americans to just accept higher prices for a bit while Trump’s trade war plays out."No pain, no gain. That's what we used to tell our football players. There's gonna be some pain with tariffs. But tariffs got us back as a strongest economy in the world when President Trump was in the first time. He knows what he's doing. Democrats get out of the way. Shut up,” Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said on Fox Business.xxYouTube Video Similarly, when presented with statements from companies saying their increased prices are due to Trump's tariffs, GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York lied, saying that Trump's tariffs aren't actually in effect. In reality, his additional 10% tariff on China is in place, as is the 25% tariff Trump put on all steel and aluminum imports from Canada."The tariffs haven't even gone into effect. They've been postponed," Malliotakis said on CNN.And Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma made an incoherent argument about why it’s okay that tariffs will cost consumers more."Tariffs is a tax. And it will be passed on to consumers. But it also allows us to have open markets,” Mullin said in an appearance on CNN. xMarkwayne Mullin makes an incoherent defense of tariffs: "Tariffs is a tax. And it will be passed on to consumers. But it also allows us to have open markets."— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-03-13T01:13:14.084ZMeanwhile, other Republicans downplayed the stock market’s steep decline from Trump's tariff policy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down more than 7% over the last month, while the S&P 500 is now in correction, which happens when a stock market falls 10% or more. MarketWatch reported that the stock markets "logged their weakest first 50 days of a presidency since 2009—when President Barack Obama assumed the mantle in the midst of the global financial crisis.""We were probably over-bloated with the stock market here for a while. We went up quite a bit," Tuberville said during another appearance on Fox Business.Freshman GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana said it's fine that the stock market is tumbling because it was too high when Joe Biden was in office—a new and novel excuse."First of all, the stock market has been on a sugar high a long time. We all love a good stock market, but the reality is that stock market imbalance did not necessarily benefit the smaller, mid-sized companies and average shareholders across the country, and it didn't necessarily benefit main street that much. So I think we are gonna see a correction there. But the reality is the stock market is not the economy, the economy is not the stock market, it's not uncommon for uncertainty to cause disruptions to that,” Sheehy said on CNN. And he made the same argument on Fox Business."Our economy has been on a sugar high for a long time. What we're seeing here from this administration and what you're gonna see from this Congress is re-disciplining to ensure that our economy is based on private investment and free-market growth,” he said.xxYouTube VideoOther GOP lawmakers said they think it’s fine that Trump crashed the stock market because it would have been worse under former Vice President Kamala Harris."We have to remember that if Kamala Harris had won on November 5, the stock market would be down 50%. This country would be on a path to ruin. What President Trump inherited is a disaster from Biden,” Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said—without evidence.Others claim that Americans won't feel the benefits of Trump's economy for some time because Biden left it in a mess. But of course, Biden left Trump with a strong economy with low unemployment and steady growth."He's got a big mess to clean up from the previous administration, and he's only been in office a little more than 50 days," Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan said on CNN.But Trump's tariffs and government cuts have left economists predicting that growth may stagnate or even go negative in the first quarter of the year, effectively ruining the strong economy that Biden left behind.Meanwhile, the GOP’s defense of Trump's economic policies is not likely to appease Americans.Polling shows that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy. A Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday found that just 41% of voters approve of Trump's handling of the economy—the issue that largely got him elected in November.In fact, an Axios focus group of Michigan Trump voters showed signs of buyer’s remorse.“[Trump] campaigned on lowering prices and making things more affordable for working-class people. He's moving in the opposite direction,” a 43-year-old Michigan voter said. And another 31-year-old voter expressed that "I was voting for him based off of the economy the first time around, and I'm seeing a significant decline.”Americans are certainly feeling the pain. So where’s the gain?Thank you to the Daily Kos community who continues to fight so hard with Daily Kos. Your reader support means everything. We will continue to have you covered and keep you informed, so please donate just $3 to help support the work we do.

'Will it be a Schumer Shutdown?'

“I prefer vehicles with internal combustion engines that burn fuels that we have in the United States," Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said.

It becomes a Schumer shutdown at this point

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett was criticized on social media after calling President Trump an "enemy" of the United States and suggesting he is a "dictator."

Demonstrators hold signs during a protest outside the U.S. embassy in Warsaw, Poland, on March 3, 2025. (NurPhoto/ Contributor/GettyImages)

Republican lawmakers are urging President Trump to salvage negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in hopes of reaching a peace deal that halts Russian encroachment and possibly gives the United States access to Ukraine’s rich mineral wealth. GOP senators say they hope Trump and Zelensky can put Friday’s heated exchange in the Oval Office behind [...]

To dismiss real threats is to encourage their becoming reality.

If confirmed, Elbridge Colby would play a key role in advising the secretary of defense and shape U.S. national security policies.

Sweeping changes in the federal government right now have many U.S. taxpayers concerned with questions about the security of completing their 2024 returns. Some marginalized communities in the South County are especially vulnerable. Elizabeth Moran of Chula Vista needed help filing her taxes this year.She is employed part-time as a school cafeteria worker while supporting her 22 year old son with special needs.“My biggest concern with what’s going on right now is the future of basically my community. Along with Hispanics and also [people with] special needs and the disabled,” Moran said. She referred to the Trump administration’s current changes to the federal government that are expected to soon include the IRS.Maria Morales, an expert who is IRS-certified in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), is showing sitting behind a desk, helping Elizabeth Moran of Chula Vista, Feb. 22, 2025.Saturday morning, Moran was the first in line to get free tax preparation done by someone known as a VITA. The acronym refers to an expert who is IRS-certified in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance. The tax experts calculated deductions, credits, and any other financial benefits that could help low-income families obtain their largest refund. “There’s a lot that they can do, but they’re just one little fragment in this whole big picture of life. So, a little extended hand is always welcomed,” she said. The free assistance was sponsored by Golden State Opportunity and Dreams for Change , non-profit organizations that educate anyone struggling with finances and who benefit from their programs providing basic needs. They partnered with other community organizations ready to help taxpayers making less than $67,000 a year. After completing a tax appointment, free tacos were available as an incentive for getting returns completed. (The) reality is that you’ve worked, you’ve earned that money. So, ‘yes’ go ahead and file. We’re hearing refunds are going out. People are receiving their (tax) refunds. Teresa Smith, CEO of Dreams for ChangeThis comes amidst ongoing uncertainty in the federal government. Teresa Smith is CEO of Dreams for Change. She said, “our reality is that you’ve worked, you’ve earned that money. So, ‘yes’ go ahead and file. We’re hearing refunds are going out. People are receiving their refunds.” Some Spanish-speaking taxpayers suddenly find themselves more vulnerable because of current federal actions regarding immigration and mass deportation. California State Senator Steve Padilla, (D) San Diego, represents communities along the entire Mexican border with the U.S. “We have seasons where the challenges are fewer and seasons where they are sometimes unnecessarily difficult. So, my answer to that is just stay focused on the work, [and] stay focused on what are the needs,” Senator Padilla said. Elizabeth Moran’s needs were met. She was informed that she will receive a refund of more than $4,500 on her federal return.

GOP officials who have supported Ukraine are trying to balance their opposition to Russia while remaining loyal to Trump.

President Trump's firings of Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr. and other top military leaders sends a "dangerous message" to service members about how the administration regards political loyalty, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said Sunday. Why it matters: The controversial dismissals, which also hit Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, come as the U.S. stares down instability abroad and amid tensions with some international allies. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had in the past questioned whether Brown — a four-star fighter pilot who served as the first Black chief of staff of the Air Force and the second Black general to serve as chairman — was named to the post because of his race. Hegseth said in a Sunday interview with "Fox News Sunday" that while he has "a lot of respect" for Brown, he's "not the right man for the moment."Franchetti, whom CNN reports Hegseth once described as a "DEI hire," was the first woman to serve as the chief of naval operations. Driving the news: Democrats and some former military officials decried Trump's move to boot respected leaders, characterizing the decision as a signal from the administration that partisan loyalties outweighed expertise and experience.The Joint Chiefs chair "should be independent of politics," Booker said on NBC's "Meet the Press Sunday," noting Brown was "supported overwhelmingly" on both sides of the political aisle. But Trump, Booker said, "has thrown that out the window and is sending a dangerous message to the military: 'It's not about your independent expertise. It's not about your years of service. It's about your personal political loyalty to me.'"Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on ABC's "This Week" that the firings were "completely unjustified" and mark "the beginning of a very, very serious degradation of the military and politicization of the military."Reed highlighted Hegseth's decision to fire the top Army, Navy and Air Force lawyers — judge advocates general, commonly known as JAGs — saying, "If you're going to break the law, the first thing you do is you get rid of the lawyers."The other side: Hegseth slammed Reed's criticism as "a total mischaracterization."He continued, "This is a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take."Zoom in: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told ABC's Martha Raddatz in a Sunday interview that he doesn't know whether the firings were "about DEI," contending, "bottom line here to me is the Department of Defense needed a complete overhaul."Trump has for years railed against "woke" generals and "wokeness" he says weakened the military, such as through diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) denied Rep. James Clyburn's (D-S.C.) contention that Trump may have fired Brown because he is Black, arguing to NBC's Kristen Welker Sunday that Clyburn "constantly pulls the race card out.""This had zero, absolutely zero to do with race," Mullin said. Go deeper: Trump orders purge of military academy visitor boards

"The best we've had in our lifetime": GOP lawmakers defend Musk snatching Congress' power

Sen. Markwayne Mullin cast doubt on suggestions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Russian President Vladimir Putin could invade NATO allies

NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki examines how Americans are reacting to the first month of the Trump administration. Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) discusses the war in Ukraine as it enters its third year. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) talks about the Democratic Party’s response to Trump. Melanie Zanona, Jonathan Martin, Jeh Johnson and Lanhee Chen join the Meet the Press roundtable.

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) joins Meet the Press for an exclusive interview to discuss how President Trump is trying to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) tells Kristen Welker he believes that calls from Trump allies to extend President Trump’s time in office are “a joke.”

In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) defends President Trump and Elon Musk's cuts to federal agencies amid backlash from Oklahoma voters.

As Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warns that Russia could be eyeing advances into NATO nations, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) says he does not believe that will happen.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, nominee to be secretary of Labor, testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday.

President Trump's pick to lead the Department of Labor, former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., has left Republicans in the Senate with some questions over her pro-union stances.

Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are staring down crucial tests on Tuesday as Senate committees will decide whether to advance their nominations to the floor amid increasing pressure from allies of President Trump. The pair of contentious nominees are facing key panel votes that will determine the future of Trump’s picks to lead [...]

Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard has wind in her sails ahead of Tuesday's Senate Intel Committee vote.Why it matters: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced her support on Monday. She's a critical swing vote who worked against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.That leaves Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) as the vote Gabbard allies are watching most carefully.Between the lines: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) — a close Trump ally who has been an advocate for nominees — told reporters he's feeling confident about Gabbard's chances. "Tulsi has done the work," he said.Conversations are ongoing between leadership and senators viewed as swing votes on both Gabbard and HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.GOP leadership feels good that even the skeptics are still willing to engage.But Young and Cassidy were not eager to talk about the upcoming votes when asked by reporters Monday night.The bottom line: "I think Todd [Young] is doing just what [Thom] Tillis did," Mullin added, referencing the North Carolina Republican's last-minute hesitancy before voting to confirm Hegseth.

Kennedy appeared before a Senate committee for the second consecutive day regarding his nomination for secretary of health and human services.

The Republican senator from Maine has been viewed as a key swing vote on several controversial Trump nominees.

EXCLUSIVE: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch and GOP senators on Thursday are expected to roll out a measure that would prohibit the use of U.S. foreign aid funds for abortions, Fox News Digital has learned.

Kennedy's confirmation is in the hands of a few Senate Republicans, some of whom have expressed concerns about his views on vaccines.

Kennedy's confirmation is in the hands of a few Senate Republicans, some of whom have expressed concerns about his views on vaccines.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be the nation’s top health official is uncertain after a key Republican joined Democrats to raise concerns over the nominee’s deep skepticism of routine childhood vaccinations.

'He will bring valuable knowledge and experience'

JD Vance's first big moment as vice president sits on the horizon as the Senate prepares to confirm Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe, which could require a tiebreaking vote.

Donald Trump begins his second term promising to disrupt the status quo — in Washington and around the world. Lord knows the status quo needs disrupting, but how he’ll do it and how far he’ll go remains a mystery, albeit...

If a conflict between the U.S. and China were to emerge, potentially over Taiwan, Americans would have a far more serious threat to their everyday lives than TikTok propaganda. In a worst-case scenario, they may not be able to put...