A fierce Senate showdown on Wednesday, February 25, saw Republican lawmaker Markwayne Mullin lock horns with Senator Bernie Sanders. The heated debate between the two senators erupted during discussions regarding nominating author Casey Means as surgeon general. While discussing problems with Obamacare, Mullin strongly condemned the committee for rebuking those who tried to fix the “broken” system.
The Senate committee gathered to discuss the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing. “Everybody we bring up here, you guys chastised me for trying to make changes,” Mullin fumed.
He continued, “God forbid we change and try to fix our broken system. Anyway, I ranted too long.”
Mullin was then cut off by Bernie Sanders, who mockingly said, “Yes, you did!”
MULLIN: “ACA is unaffordable.”
BERNIE SANDERS: “You’re attacking me.”
MULLIN: “If I cared about your opinion, I would ask you, but I don’t—you’re part of the problem—because you’ve been sitting here longer than I’ve even been alive!” 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ug6ogSwYPr
— Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) February 25, 2026
Sanders’ words angered Mullin even more. It seemed that the latter was not ready to let Sanders’ comment slide as he soon went on a cutting rant. “I’m sorry, I didn’t ask for your opinion on that, and if I cared about your opinion, I would ask you. But I don’t care about your opinion,” Mullin fired back.
Mullin then took a jibe at Sanders, stating that he is also to be blamed for the issues. He accused him of negligence by saying that despite being part of the system for so long, Sanders never took any initiative to fix the persisting issues.
“You’re part of the system. You’re part of the problem. You’ve been sitting here longer than I’ve been alive. This is your problem. You should have fixed this a long time ago. You’ve been railing on it for so long. What have you been doing?” Mullin said.
As he then attempted to move on from the topic, Sanders shot another sarcastic comment his way, insinuating that he had passed up running for surgeon general, “You’re the nominee I’ve decided on.”
Mullin responded, “That is definitely something we would never accept.”
The overwhelming scientific evidence is clear: vaccines do not cause autism.
So why couldn’t Trump’s nominee for Surgeon General simply say that? pic.twitter.com/px1D89VvBj
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) February 25, 2026
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, showed his support to Mullin on X. Sharing a post, he wrote, “Senator Mullin FIRED BACK after Bernie Sanders took a cheap shot, and it did NOT end well for the octogenarian socialist.”
Journalist Anna Matson also sided with Mullin, as she said, “Finally. Someone put Bernie Sanders in his place. He’s all talk and no action. He’s been in office longer than I’ve been alive, and he has nothing to show for it.”
This is not the first time Sanders and Mullin have engaged in a heated exchange. Back in 2023, Sanders clashed with Mullin after the former tried to play mediator between the former MMA fighter and Sean O’Brien. They also fought over Obamacare in December 2025, when Mullin called Sanders “the Grinch.”
