St. Louis, MO – Senator Josh Hawley’s latest partisan stunt has thrown a major Missouri employer and source of funding for the state into chaos, thanks to his delay of the confirmation for President Biden’s Secretary of Homeland Security.

Hawley blocked consideration of Alejandro Mayorkas, President Biden’s nominee to run the Department of Homeland Security, following a Senate Committee hearing last Tuesday. The hold has prevented an incoming President from having a Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) in place on day one for the first time in the department’s history. It also continues DHS’ stretch without a permanent leader in place that dates back to April 2019.

DHS is the nation’s third biggest department and plays a crucial role in keeping Missouri safe in the face of a pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly 7,000 Missourians and numerous security threats both at home and abroad. The department is also, however, a substantial contributor to the state’s economy, and its headlessness has handicapped its ability to engage in long-term planning and protection for the state.

The department has provided crucial funding to Missouri over the last two decades, especially through the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), which has come to the state’s aid numerous times following natural disasters. Since 2003, FEMA has distributed more than $1 billion to Missouri. Notably, the agency was expected to spend roughly $150 million in Jasper and Newton Counties alone helping them recover from the 2011 Joplin tornado. FEMA has also played a crucial role helping Missouri combat the coronavirus epidemic — a role that is set to grow during the Biden administration.

The Department is also a major employer of Missourians, who currently are lacking a boss. DHS employs more than 240,000 people nationwide, and Missouri has more than its fair share of job-creating facilities, including four ports of entry staffed by Customs and Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration members.

Members of both parties can’t understand why Hawley has delayed Mayorkas’ nomination. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) has said that it is critical that Mayorkas’ nomination be expedited “because the job is so important,” while Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) has said that Hawley’s stunt has put the “country’s security at risk.”

“Josh Hawley’s partisan grandstanding is hurting our national security, as well as Missouri’s workers, Missouri’s budget and Missouri’s public safety,” said Missouri Democratic Party Chairman Michael Butler. “He needs to stop embarrassing himself and his state, and that starts by joining the bipartisan effort to confirm Secretary Mayorkas today. We can’t afford to wait any longer.”

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