House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) on Monday announced the chairs for its six subcommittees in the 114th Congress, including four new chairs.
Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) will retain their chairs of the Subcommittees on Border and Maritime Security, and Counterterrorism and Intelligence, respectively.
In a statement on Monday, Miller outlined her legislative priorities for 2015, with border security topping the list. She said the crisis last summer of unaccompanied children on the southern border will be exacerbated by President Barack Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration.
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), a new member of Congress who ran unopposed in the mid-term elections, will chair the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies. Ratcliffe was a United States Attorney under former President George W. Bush and served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Subcommittee on Terrorism and National Security, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also served as the chief of Anti-Terrorism and National Security for the Eastern District of Texas.
The subcommittee was previously led by Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), who is no longer on the full committee.
The Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications will be chaired by Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), who defeated former committee member Ron Barber (D) in a close election. McSally is a former Air Force fighter pilot who retired from the service in 2010.
The panel was previously led by Rep. Susan Brooks (R-Ind.), who is no longer on the full committee.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) will chair the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, taking over for Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), who remains on the panel. Perry served on the full committee in the 113th Congress.
Perry in December voted against the $1.1 trillion FY ’15 Omnibus spending bill, saying the legislation doesn’t do anything to block Obama’s executive actions on immigration, and that the budget doesn’t do enough to control government spending.
Rep. John Katko (R-N.Y.), the third freshman lawmaker appointed by McCaul to lead a subcommittee, will chair the Transportation Security panel, which was previously led by Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who is no longer on the committee. Katko defeated former Rep. Dan Maffei (D) in the November elections.
Katko is a former U.S. Attorney. His campaign literature said he supports a “tough, fair and practical” approach to immigration. “Tough in terms of better enforcement and border security; fair meaning taxpayers should not have to shoulder unfair burdens; and practical so that any reform effectively addresses the problem and restores the rule of law.”
In the area of anti-terrorism, Katko called for a “proactive” approach “that improves the prevention of terrorist travel, enhances foreign and domestic information sharing, and includes a lawful framework for the detainment and interrogation of terrorists.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the ranking member on the full committee, has yet to announce who will be the ranking members on the subcommittees.