Tennessee U.S. Rep. Mark Green Elected Chair of Homeland Security Committee

Tennessee U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) was elected on Monday to be the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Green defeated Texas Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-02) to secure the position.

As the Department of Homeland Security’s main oversight committee, the Homeland Security Committee oversees border security and cybersecurity. The committee was established by Congress as a standing committee in 2005 to ensure the protection of the American people from terrorist attacks.

Green, a U.S. Army combat veteran and medical doctor who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has previously served on the House Armed Services Committee, Foreign Affairs, and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.

“For the sake of our national security and homeland security, ending the border crisis President Biden created is our top priority,” Green wrote on Twitter following his appointment to head the committee. “I’m grateful to @SpeakerMcCarthy and the House Republican Steering Committee for entrusting me with this task; it’s time to get to work and fulfill our Commitment to America!”

Green acknowledged that Crenshaw “ran a spirited race” and added that he is “grateful” for the Texas congressman’s friendship and leadership.

“I look forward to working with him, a fellow veteran who understands our national security challenges, to secure our homeland,” Green said.

In a separate statement emailed to reporters, Green said, “At a time when illegal immigrants are flooding our border by the millions, no community in the U.S. will be unaffected. We must stop the flow of fentanyl that is killing hundreds of thousands of Americans. We will empower our brave CBP personnel with the necessary tools to accomplish the mission. And make no mistake, we will hold President Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas accountable for their complete dereliction of duty in failing to respond to this crisis.”

He added:

We will also work to secure our cyber border. In 2018, cyberattacks cost the federal government an estimated $13.7 billion dollars, and recently the Department of Justice determined that 80% of all espionage cases and 60% of all trade secret cases are connected to China in some way. No community in America will be spared if we cannot secure this fourth, deeply vulnerable, border. These are two of the many priorities we will address—and we will not let the American people down.

For the sake of our country, we have no choice but to address these challenges head-on. I’m grateful to Speaker McCarthy and the House Republican Steering Committee for entrusting me with this task; it’s time to get to work and fulfill our Commitment to America.

Green’s first order of business is hiring staff for the committee, according to German-owned political news outlet POLITICO Congressional Reporter Olivia Beavers. Green also has plans to have a “permanent staff member staying at the border to work with CBP and other entities,” Beavers noted.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Rep. Mark Green” by Rep. Mark Green.