House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Peter King (R-NY) has been elected as chairman of the panel by his Republican colleagues. According to a statement issued this morning, King's priorities for the committee are:
- Conducting effective oversight of Department of Homeland Security operations and ways to give the intelligence community and law enforcement agencies the tools they need to identify and combat domestic radicalization;
- Stopping the Obama Administration’s plans to transfer Guantanamo detainees, like admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his co-conspirators, to the U.S. and put them on trial in civilian courts, and holding hearings on the President’s plans to close Guantanamo;
- Holding hearings on the attack at Fort Hood;
- Working with the Department of Homeland Security to improve cargo security on passenger planes and on cargo-only planes;
- Enacting additional border security legislation to curb illegal immigration;
- Strengthening the Securing the Cities Initiative to protect more Americans from radiological and nuclear devices;
- Bolstering national cybersecurity by fortifying the defenses of federal networks and promoting partnerships with the private sector to protect against cyberattack;
- Strengthening communications for our nation’s first responders;
- Passing a comprehensive Department of Homeland Security authorization bill to provide DHS with necessary guidance, tools, and resources to help protect our homeland from terrorist attack.
