Rep. Andrew Garbarino defeated three other contenders to chair the...

Rep. Andrew Garbarino defeated three other contenders to chair the House Homeland Security Committee. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

WASHINGTON — Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) has been selected as the new chairman of the powerful House Homeland Security Committee, a panel that helps steer federal counterterrorism programs to New York in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Garbarino, a third-term House member, defeated three other contenders for the post in a vote by the House Republican Steering Committee on Monday evening. The selection was officially approved by the House Republican Conference in a Tuesday morning vote.

He fills a role once held by his predecessor, former Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford). The committee was established in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and helps shape national security policy.

Garbarino was widely regarded as a front-runner for the post because of his district's proximity to New York City and the region's counterterrorism apparatus that includes partnerships between local law enforcement and federal agencies.

In an interview, Garbarino said his time leading the panel will be influenced by growing up in New York when the 9/11 attacks occurred, and by all the first responders and victims he has worked with on issues since he was elected.

"As a lifelong New Yorker and representative of a district shaped by 9/11, I understand the stakes of this responsibility," Garbarino said.

Garbarino, who has served as chairman of the House Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee, said he hopes the broader Homeland Security Committee will continue focusing on the new frontier of threats that cyberattacks pose to the United States.

"This is a very bipartisan committee — everyone wants to protect the homeland," Garbarino said.

The chair post became available after Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) retired. Garbarino beat out Reps. Michael Guest (R-Miss.), who serves as chairman of the House Ethics Committee; Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), who was mayor of Miami-Dade County; and Clay Higgins (R-La.), a former law enforcement officer.

Garbarino said the work ahead of the committee includes "securing the border, confronting terrorism, strengthening our cybersecurity and hardening our national defenses."

King, who led the committee in two two-year stints in 2005 and 2011, told Newsday in a phone interview that Garbarino will be able to bring the perspective of a lawmaker who understands how the 9/11 attacks continue to impact the region.

"When you have people from other parts of the country, they don't still fully realize what 9/11 meant, how New York and Long Island are top terrorist targets," King said.

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