Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin put on another episode of Washington’s Longest-Running Grudge Match during a heated Senate hearing that instantly went viral.
The clash unfolded during a Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Obamacare and the nomination of Casey Means as U.S. surgeon general. Mullin criticized lawmakers for attacking anyone who tries to fix the system, saying, “God forbid we change and try to fix our broken system.” He admitted he had “ranted too long” and tried to move on.
That’s when Sanders jumped in with a snide, “Yes, you did.”
Mullin wasn’t having it.
“I didn’t ask your opinion, and if I cared about your opinion I would ask you. But I don’t care about your opinion,” Mullin fired back. “You’re part of the system. You’re part of the problem. You’ve been sitting here longer than I’ve even been alive. This is your problem. You should have fixed this a long time ago.”
Ouch. That’s what happens when someone finally reads Bernie his own résumé.
Sanders tried to brush it off with sarcasm, saying, “I decided not to run for surgeon general. You’re the nominee I’ve decided.”
Mullin responded, “That is definitely something we would never accept,” before moving on with the hearing.
Conservatives on social media wasted no time enjoying the moment. “Charlie Kirk Show” executive producer Andrew Kolvet wrote that things “did not end well for the octogenarian socialist.” Comedian Tim Young pointed out that Sanders has been in office so long he should have solved the problems he complains about by now. Journalist Anna Matson celebrated that someone finally put Sanders in his place, while commentator Dan Dakich declared the “swamp” was being drained. Conservative journalist Eric Daughterty summed it up simply: Mullin “pummeled” Sanders to his face.
This wasn’t their first rodeo. The two have clashed repeatedly in recent years, including a viral 2023 exchange when Mullin nearly came to blows with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien during a hearing Sanders was moderating.
The takeaway? After decades in Washington, Sanders is still yelling about broken systems, while Republicans are daring to fix them. And judging by this exchange, voters are noticing who’s actually doing something — and who’s just been talking about it since disco was still on the radio.
