New York Rep. John Katko is pursuing the ranking member position on the House Homeland Security Committee, pitting him against Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Katko told POLITICO.
Rogers has more seniority than Katko, who joined Congress four years ago after retiring as a federal prosecutor and is now chairman of the committee's transportation security subpanel. Katko told POLITICO in an exclusive interview that though he considers Rogers a friend he believed his background at DOJ and work on the transportation subpanel also qualified him to make a bid. And he thinks he can sway some in leadership.
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"I sense that they think we're both qualified," Katko said. "But I sense that not everyone on steering has made up their minds yet. And so that provides an opportunity, and we'll see what happens."
Katko said he'd be "laser-focused on Border Patrol issues" as well as "vigorous oversight" of DHS if he landed the post. He added that he had a "good, strong, bipartisan working relationship" with Mississippi Democrat Bennie Thompson, who is expected to become committee chairman.
House Republicans are expected to make committee selections the week after the Thanksgiving holiday.
