Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said on Wednesday that Democrats who voted for the Laken Riley Act are “playing politics.”
When NewsNation’s Blake Burman asked Mullin if having Democrats vote on the bill meant they were moving toward Republicans on the issue, Mullin responded he didn’t see it that way.
“I wouldn’t say that they’re moving our way,” he said, stating that some of those Democrats are from states where President Trump won in November.
So, what you’re seeing is they’re playing politics with it,” Mullin later added.
Mullin then later referenced the killing of the namesake of the bill, saying, “This is a senseless act that could’ve been taken care of.”
“It was foreseeable two years ago,” he added. “Miss Riley should be alive today, if they were serious about it. … this act, this bill, was presented when … Chuck Schumer had control of the Senate.”
Both Congressional chambers passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires large numbers of migrants lacking legal status to be detained, this week. While the bill was heavily backed by Republicans in both chambers, there were also supportive votes from a number of Democrats.
Among the House pro-Laken Riley Democratic voters were moderate names like Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), with the Senate voters featuring Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.)
“I tell people all the time, the policy’s right, but timing is more important on Capitol Hill than the policy, and underneath Joe Biden’s administration, the timing was never gonna be right,” Mullin said of the Laken Riley Act.
In a post on X earlier this month, Gallego said beyond “voting yes on the Laken Riley Act, I’m cosponsoring the bill.”
“Arizonans know better than most the real consequences of today’s border crisis. We must give law enforcement the means to take action to prevent tragedies like what occurred to Laken Riley,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to Biden and Schumer’s office for comment.
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