Washington, DC– Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) was appointed Vice Chair of the full House Homeland Security Committee on which he sits. The Homeland Security Committee has oversight and legislative authority over the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“I am grateful to Chair Thompson and my colleagues for appointing me as Vice Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee. As a lifelong New Yorker who lived through 9/11 and as a new Congressman who lived through the insurrection against the US Capitol, the need for effective counterterrorism is a priority for me. In the weeks following the siege on the Capitol, the work of the Homeland Security Committee has taken on new urgency,” said Congressman Torres.

Congressman Torres was also appointed to two Subcommittees: Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection & Innovation, and the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management & Accountability

“I’m excited to welcome our new Members – and welcome back other fine Members – to the Committee. Committee Democrats represent a diverse array of communities across our country and are well positioned to apply their varied backgrounds and perspectives to the issues of homeland security that affect all Americans,” said Homeland Security Committee Chair Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS-2). “I am confident that our new Subcommittee Chairs and Committee Democrats are up to the challenge of confronting the pressing issues facing our country today – which include crushing the coronavirus, defending our homeland from violent extremism and domestic terrorism, undoing the damage of the Trump Administration’s disastrous and cruel immigration and border security policies, and protecting our networks and infrastructure from cyber-threats. Importantly, Committee Democrats stand ready to work with the Biden Administration to help keep the country secure and advance critical and much needed reforms within the Department of Homeland Security.”