The House Republican Steering Committee on Monday chose Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) to be the new chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, topping Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) for the position.
Border security, to no one’s surprise, will be the committee’s main focus area amid Republican criticisms that Biden administration policies have encouraged a wave of illegal immigration to the U.S.
“For the sake of our national security and homeland security, ending the border crisis President Biden created is our top priority,” Green posted on Twitter after the election by the steering committee.
Green, a physician and former Army surgeon, was elected to Congress in 2018. He previously was not a member of the Homeland Security Committee and has served on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees. He is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans making up the right-wing of the party.
Green also thanked newly elected House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and the steering committee for his selection to chair the Homeland Security Committee, adding “it’s time to get to work and fulfill our Commitment to America.”
The Commitment to America was released by McCarthy last September ahead of the congressional mid-term elections and outlines a conservative policy agenda. Securing the southern U.S. border is one of the bullet points within agenda and highlights the need for a Republican border security bill called the Border Security for America Act that would direct the Department of Homeland Security to continue building physical barriers along border that were planned or underway prior to President Biden assuming office.
The bill, which was never acted on when Democrats controlled the House, would also require technology deployments to achieve situational awareness along the border, and require a biometric exit data system at ports of entry. Border security technology and biometric exit programs already enjoy bipartisan support.
McCarthy’s policy agenda also calls for the U.S. to regain operational control of the southern border by re-imposing or maintaining Trump era polices such as requiring certain foreigners illegally attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico remain in Mexico for the duration of their immigration proceedings.
On his congressional website, under “Issues,” Green says “Legal immigration is necessary for the continued strength of our economy. However, illegal immigration threatens the safety of individual Americans and the financial strength of the country. The first and immediate step we need to take is to secure the border.”
Various media outlets reported that Green told the committee will put two staffers on the U.S. southern border. Cybersecurity, a key bipartisan focus area of the committee, will remain a focus area, Green said.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who previously chaired the committee, will be the ranking member. John Katko, a Republican from New York, was the previous ranking member before he retired at the end of the last Congress.