Michael McCaul
Mike McCaul | |
---|---|
Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee | |
Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Eliot Engel |
Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee | |
In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Peter King |
Succeeded by | Bennie Thompson |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2005 | |
Preceded by | Lloyd Doggett |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Thomas McCaul January 14, 1962 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Linda Mays |
Children | 5 |
Education | Trinity University, Texas (BA) St. Mary's University, Texas (JD) |
Net worth | $113 million (2018)[1] |
Michael Thomas McCaul Sr. (born January 14, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 10th congressional district, since 2005. During 113th, 114th, and 115th Congresses, he served as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Congressman McCaul is a member of the Republican Party. The district stretches from Austin to Houston. As of 2018[update] he is the fifth-wealthiest member of Congress.[2]
Contents
Early life, education, and law career[edit]
McCaul was born in Dallas, Texas, the son of Frances Jane (Lott) and James Addington McCaul, Jr. He has English, Irish, and German ancestry.[3] He graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from San Antonio's Trinity University in 1984 and his Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University in 1987. McCaul also completed the Senior Executive Fellowship at the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University.[4][5]
McCaul worked as an attorney and a federal prosecutor before entering politics. He was the Chief of Counterterrorism and National Security for Texas's branch of the US Attorney's office, and also worked under the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Section. After he left the USDOJ, McCaul took a position as a Deputy Attorney General in 1999 with the Texas Attorney General's Office and served in this capacity until 2002.
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
Elections[edit]
This section needs to be updated.December 2016) ( |
He ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004. He won a crowded Republican primary in the newly created 10th District. The district was thought to be so heavily Republican that no Democratic candidate even filed, effectively handing the seat to McCaul.
In 2006 he defeated Democratic candidate Ted Ankrum and former Libertarian presidential candidate Michael Badnarik with 55% of the vote. McCaul won re-election once again in 2008, against Democratic candidate Larry Joe Doherty and Libertarian candidate Matt Finkel[6] by a 54 to 43 percent margin.
In 2010, he was re-elected to a fourth term with 76% of the vote against Democratic candidate Ted Ankrum (22%) and Libertarian candidate Jeremiah "JP" Perkins (1 percent).
McCaul won a seventh term in the House in the general election held on November 8, 2016. With 179,221 votes (57.3 percent), he defeated the Democrat Tawana W. Cadien, who polled 120,170 (38.4 percent). The Libertarian Bill Kelsey held another 13,209 votes (4.2 percent).[7]
McCaul won an eighth term in the House in the general election held on November 6, 2018. With 157,166 votes (51.1 percent), he defeated the Democrat Mike Siegel, who polled 144,034 (46.8 percent). The Libertarian Mike Ryan held another 6,627 votes (2.5 percent).
Legislation[edit]
On December 11, 2013, McCaul introduced the National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2013 (H.R. 3696; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct cybersecurity activities on behalf of the federal government and would codify the role of DHS in preventing and responding to cybersecurity incidents involving the Information Technology (IT) systems of federal civilian agencies and critical infrastructure in the United States.[8][9] McCaul said that the bill was "an important step toward addressing the cyber threat."[10] According to McCaul, the bill "establishes a true partnership between DHS and the private sector to ensure the distribution of real-time cyber threat information in order to secure our nation in cyberspace without burdensome mandates or regulations."[10]
In a December 2, 2016 Fox News op-ed, McCaul declared his intention to support legislation, in line with president-elect Donald Trump's proposals, to build a wall along the Mexico–United States border, to secure the border, and have Mexico and other Latin American countries pay for these proposals.[11]
In April 2019, McCaul spoke out against a resolution that would end US involvement in the Yemeni Civil War. Recognizing the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, McCaul explained his belief that approving the resolution would "disrupt US security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries."[12]
Committee assignments[edit]
In December 2016, the House Republican Conference voted to appoint McCaul for a third term as the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Committee. The selection follows McCaul's recent publication of "A National Strategy to Win the War Against Islamist Terror", a compilation of more than 100 counterterrorism strategies and recommendations. McCaul says his approach to counterterrorism will aid in integrating the nation's homeland security policies into the digital age through the implementation of detailed screening of foreign visitors, including immigrants and refugees, by utilizing the latest technologies and intelligence.[13]
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere (Vice Chair)
- Committee on Homeland Security (Chairman)
- Republican Study Committee[14]
Caucus memberships[edit]
- Co-Chair of the Congressional High Tech Caucus – Founder
- Co-Chair of the Childhood Cancer Caucus- Co-Founder
- Co-Chair of the Congressional Cyber Security Caucus –
- Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Sudan and South Sudan
- Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus[15]
Personal life[edit]
McCaul is married to Linda Mays McCaul. She is the daughter of Clear Channel Communications chairman Lowry Mays and sister of its CEO Mark Mays. In 2011, Roll Call named McCaul as one of the wealthiest members of the United States Congress, surpassing then U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA). His net worth was estimated at $294 million, which is approximately 300% higher than it was in the previous year ($74 million).[16] In 2004, Roll Call estimated his net worth at just $12 million. His wealth increase was due to large monetary transfers from his wife's family.[17] McCaul and his family live in West Lake Hills, Texas, a wealthy suburb of Austin, Texas.[citation needed]. McCaul is frequently in the top ten users of household water in the Austin area, and was the #1 consumer of household water in Austin for 2017.[18]
See also[edit]
- List of richest American politicians
- Final Report of the Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel
References[edit]
- ^ "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "michael mccaul". RootsWeb.com. Ancestry. September 22, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
- ^ "U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul '80 Named Jesuit Dallas Distinguished Alumnus". Jesuit Dallas News. October 16, 2014. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul '80 Named Jesuit Dallas Distinguished Alumnus". jesuitdallas.org. Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. October 15, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
- ^ "State of Texas 2008 General Election Returns". Texas Secretary of State. November 5, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Election Results". Texas Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ "CBO – H.R. 3696" (PDF). Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ "H.R. 3696 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Waddell, Melanie (July 29, 2014). "House Panel Passes Cybersecurity Bills". ThinkAdvisor.com. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ McCaul, Michael (December 2, 2016). "Rep. McCaul: Yes, We Will Build a Wall, Put Mexico on a "Payment Plan" and Enforce the Law". Fox News. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
- ^ George, Susannah (April 4, 2019). "House votes to end support for Yemen war; Trump expected to veto". The Times of Israel. Associated Press. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- ^ "McCaul elected to chair House Homeland Security Committee for third term". Homeland Preparedness News. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
- ^ "Member List". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ "Our Members". U.S. House of Representatives International Conservation Caucus. Archived from the original on August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ^ "The 50 Richest Members of Congress (2011)". Roll Call. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
- ^ Cooper, Kent (August 18, 2011). "McCaul Leaps to Top of 50 Richest Members of Congress : Roll Call News". Rollcall.com. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ "Michael McCaul, one of Congress' richest members, used more water in 2017 than any Austin resident". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
External links[edit]
- Congressman Michael McCaul official U.S. House site
- Michael McCaul for Congress
- Michael McCaul at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Lloyd Doggett |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th congressional district 2005–present |
Incumbent |
Preceded by Peter King |
Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee 2013–2019 |
Succeeded by Bennie Thompson |
Preceded by Eliot Engel |
Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee 2019–present |
Incumbent |
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
Preceded by Kenny Marchant |
United States Representatives by seniority 98th |
Succeeded by Patrick McHenry |
- 1962 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- American people of English descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Irish descent
- Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas alumni
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- People from Dallas
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- St. Mary's University School of Law alumni
- Texas lawyers
- Texas Republicans
- Trinity University (Texas) alumni
- United States Deputy Attorneys General