Garbarino Tapped for House Homeland Security Chair

Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) has been chosen by the House Republican Steering Committee to chair the House Homeland Security Committee, succeeding former Rep. Mark Green, who left for a private sector position. Garbarino's selection, pending ratification by the full GOP conference, is considered a win for centrist Republicans, as he is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus and the Republican Main Street Caucus. He won the post over Reps. Michael Guest, Carlos Gimenez, and Clay Higgins, aided by his experience leading the cybersecurity subcommittee and participating in impeachment proceedings against former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. As chair, Garbarino is expected to focus on implementing President Trump’s immigration and border security agenda, including a new version of the H.R. 2 immigration bill. His appointment comes amid significant committee shake-ups and a narrow Republican majority in the House. The committee will also maintain its oversight of cybersecurity, terrorism, and disaster response.