The House Republican Steering Committee voted on Monday night for Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino to replace former Rep. Mark Green as chair of the Homeland Security Committee, a key victory that makes him the runaway favorite to secure the role.
The position requires a vote by the full House GOP conference, which typically green-lights the steering committee’s picks.
Other Republicans in the running for the position include Reps. Clay Higgins, Michael Guest and Carlos Gimenez.
Members of the Steering Committee said Monday night that the vote for the influential leadership position was a tough one.
“They’re all great guys,” Rep. Jodey Arrington told NOTUS. “You got prosecutors. You got former local leaders, strong leaders, you got former law enforcement. I mean, it’s a great slate of candidates. I mean, any one of these guys can do a great job, honestly.”
Heading into the evening, the state of Louisiana was expected to have a major sway in the decision, with Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, as well as Rep. Julia Letlow, all on the committee. Of the 38 votes, Johnson had four of them, and Scalise had two.
“We have four great candidates, and these are all members who have been on this committee, on the front line in the fight to secure our border, to prevent future terrorist attacks,” Scalise told reporters. “They’re incredibly qualified members. You don’t have a seat like this open up often. But we’re blessed that we have some really top-tier candidates running. Because it’s an important committee.”
And Letlow told NOTUS that “all four were great” and that one of the main criteria was ensuring that the chair “be in alignment with the president’s agenda.”
While Johnson has a good relationship with all the candidates, Higgins was expected by some to be the favorite for the position. The Louisiana congressman is currently the third-ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee.
Johnson declined to tell NOTUS ahead of the vote which direction he was leaning in.
“I can’t talk about that yet,” Johnson said.
Following his presentation, Higgins told reporters that he had respect for his colleagues and that all would do a good job in the position.
“My deep respect for my colleagues who are also seeking the chair is profound, like we’re friends,” Higgins said. “We’re like brothers on that committee. We sit next to each other. We have for quite some time. I have seniority there. But these are gentlemen of distinguished accomplishments. So quite frankly, I’m humbled to stand amongst their numbers.”
Higgins added that among the things that could be on the next chair’s agenda is a potential second reconciliation bill.
Prior to his retirement as chair of the Homeland Security Committee, Green led a charge last year to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Green, who served in Congress since 2019 and was the chair of the committee since 2023, surprised many of his colleagues by announcing his retirement to pursue a mysterious opportunity in the private sector. Sources previously told NOTUS that he had pitched a number of people in Washington on a potential investment opportunity in Guyana.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce my retirement from Congress. Recently, I was offered an opportunity in the private sector that was too exciting to pass up. As a result, today I notified the Speaker and the House of Representatives that I will resign from Congress as soon as the House votes once again on the reconciliation package,” Green said.