LI Rep. Garbarino to lead powerful House Homeland Security Committee
The South Shore representative edged out fellow Congressmen Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) and Clay Higgins (R-La.) in a committee vote Monday for the highly coveted role, which oversees the panel that deals with a portfolio of domestic security issues.
'As a lifelong New Yorker and representative of a district shaped by 9/11, I understand the stakes of this responsibility. 'Never forget' is more than a slogan,' Garbarino said in a statement. 'It is a commitment I have carried with me throughout my entire adult life and one that will continue to drive my work.
'We have serious work ahead of us. Securing the border, confronting terrorism, strengthening our cybersecurity, and hardening our national defenses are all critical to keeping Americans safe.'
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Garbarino will be succeeding former Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who has resigned from the House, shrinking the GOP's razor-thin edge in the lower chamber.
3 Long Island GOP Rep. Andrew Garbarino has served on the House Homeland Security Committee throughout his tenure in Congress.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
3 The committee's previous chairman, Mark Green, resigned from the House this month to pursue another gig.
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Green tendered his resignation after the passage of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act for a mysterious new job that reportedly involves business opportunities in Guyana.
The retired rep drew headlines in September after his wife accused him of having an affair and filed for a divorce. She alleged that he was having a dalliance with a woman employed by Axios at the time but later backtracked.
3 Garbarino pointed to his experiences in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while vying for the chairmanship role.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Garbarino, who was first elected to the House in 2020, raised eyebrows himself in May for snoozing through an all-night marathon session of Congress debating the House's first iteration of the Big Beautiful Bill.
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The rep, who has served on the Homeland Security Committee throughout his tenure, won the panel' chairmanship in a vote by the House Steering Committee, which works to assign lawmakers to various committees in the lower chamber.
Now his nomination will head to the House Republican Conference, which usually rubber stamps recommendations from the steering panel.
The Long Island Republican has been the chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection since 2023.
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He also previously served as an impeachment manager against former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who survived the effort by the GOP-led House to oust him.
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