Texas Insider Report: Washington D.C. As chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight Investigation & Management today begins a new era of listening to the American people and holding government accountable" said Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX 10) expressing optimism about a new direction for America while emphasizing the need for comprehensive oversight of the federal government to ensure efficient operations and use of taxpayer dollars.
Rep. McCaul plans to scrutinize all major aspects of the Department of Homeland Security to identify waste fraud and abuse as well as any gaps and unnecessary redundancies in DHS operations including border security intelligence gathering and risk assessment air travel and cybersecurity.
Our first responsibility is to ensure all operations are functioning at a high level to secure the border and prevent terrorist attacks" said Rep. McCaul.
Scrutinizing every dollar we spend will help to ensure both fiscal and operational effectiveness" McCaul said.
Throughout the 112th Congress the subcommittee which possess subpoena powers will conduct investigations and hold hearings to assess both the operational and fiscal status of DHS programs. The role of the subcommittee mirrors House Republicans commitment to placing greater emphasis on oversight of federal programs which is important to ensuring maximization of taxpayer dollars and resources.
In addition to his committee service Congressman McCaul will continue his personal efforts to reform Washington and cut wasteful spending.
McCaul has not requested earmarks since 2008 until the process becomes transparent. He played a role implementing last years earmark moratorium among House Republicans which was extended into the new Congress.
He has joined fellow House members in cutting his 2011 office budget by five percent.
And he applauds changes in House rules implemented by the new Republican majority. Among them:
- Bills must cite constitutional authority
- Bills must be publicly posted online for three days before a floor vote
- Replace Pay-go" with cut-go" requiring members to cut at least as much as any new spending
- Strikes the Gephardt rule that automatically allows congress to raise the debt ceiling without a vote
- Gives Budget Chairman the power to unilaterally impose budget limits for the current fiscal year
These are all necessary steps that I believe will increase accountability help reign in spending and gain back the publics trust" said Rep. McCaul.
In addition to the Homeland Security Committee Congressman McCaul will continue to serve on the
Foreign Affairs Science & Technology and
Ethics Committees and he will continue to play a major role shaping high tech and cybersecurity policy.
