House sets DHS Committee

The House Rules Committee gave the new Homeland Security Committee oversight of most DHS activities, except for immigration policy, non-border enforcement and customs revenue. The Rules Committee assigned immigration policy and nonborder enforcement issues to the Judiciary Committee and kept authority over customs revenue in the Ways and Means Committee. The homeland security rule for the incoming 109th Congress stripped the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of its authority over the Transportation Security Administration. The transportation panel's chairman, Don Young of Alaska, had unsuccessfully appealed to his Republican colleagues for support in retaining that authority. The rules panel directed the new committee to continuously review DHS' relations with other government agencies. Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) is expected to be picked as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.The House failed to pass a DHS authorization bill in the 108th Congress, largely because authority over DHS was fragmented across dozens of committees and subcommittees.