Sen. Hawley taps the brakes, blocks speedy consideration of Biden's DHS nominee

Sen. Josh Hawley moved to block speedy consideration of Joe Biden's pick of Alejandro Mayorkas for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The Missouri Republican put "a hold on a procedural move to bypass full committee consideration of" the nominee, according to a press release.

"On Day 1 of his administration, President-elect Biden has said he plans to unveil an amnesty plan for 11 million immigrants in this nation illegally," Hawley said in a statement. "This comes at a time when millions of American citizens remain out of work and a new migrant caravan has been attempting to reach the United States. Mr. Mayorkas has not adequately explained how he will enforce federal law and secure the southern border given President-elect Biden’s promise to roll back major enforcement and security measures. Just today, he declined to say he would enforce the laws Congress has already passed to secure the border wall system. Given this, I cannot consent to skip the standard vetting process and fast-track this nomination when so many questions remain unanswered."

President-elect Biden is slated to be sworn in as the nation's next president on Wednesday.