The Senate is gearing up to vote on President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill”, during which Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) desk will likely come to the aid of those needing a treat.
Mullin was assigned the historic candy desk in January at the start of the 119th Congress, though the tradition of the desk dates back to 1965 when former Sen. George Murphy (R-CA) would hide candy in his desk. Murphy eventually invited his Senate colleagues to help themselves to his stash, leading to them offering to help restock the desk with their own candy.
Since Murphy began the tradition, other senators have been assigned to the desk near the Senate chamber’s busiest entrance. Before Mullin, past senators assigned to the candy desk include former Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Rick Santorum (R-PA), the latter of whom held the responsibility for the longest stint of 10 years, from 1997 through 2007.
The tradition was recognized in 1979, when former Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) mentioned it during a speech on the Senate floor.
Shortly after Mullin was assigned the desk, he released a video of his effort to restock the candy desk’s drawer, carrying a box of Sour Patch Kids packages. Since then, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), Mullin’s predecessor in occupying the candy desk, has joked to the Washington Examiner that he may have to file a motion to vacate Mullin from the desk if he keeps buying generic candy from Walgreens and CVS.
New gig: occupying the infamous Senate Candy Desk for the 119th Congress. pic.twitter.com/zON9X2fzZ5
— Markwayne Mullin (@SenMullin) January 16, 2025
A replica of the candy desk and the entire Senate chamber can be found at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. The replica desk was spotlighted over the weekend on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream, in which Bruce Percelay, the chairman of the institute’s board of directors, noted that Murphy had quite the sweet tooth.
“He had an insatiable appetite for candy, and he stocked the desk,” Percelay said of Murphy. “It is not permitted to eat in the U.S. Senate chamber, except in this instance. So, whenever a senator comes and goes, they grab candy.”
Senators are likely to frequent the Senate’s sweet spot over the next few weeks as they haggle over key provisions in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” before the July 4 recess.
The bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives last month by a tally of 215-214. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) has since stated that Senate Republicans would work to make this bill “even more beautiful,” suggesting “more savings” could be implemented in it.
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The bill hit some speed bumps ahead of any vote, as Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) stated there are already four Republican senators opposed to it, enough for the bill to fail since Senate Republicans only have a three-seat majority. Paul himself has said he wants to provide tax cuts to voters, but will only vote yes to the bill if the raised debt ceiling is removed.
When the bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives on May 22, five Republicans did not vote in favor of it, one of whom was Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). Like Paul, Massie has been critical of the bill, specifically pointing to how it did not cut enough government spending.