Politics

Sheila Jackson Lee for Homeland Security secretary?

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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The Congressional Black Caucus wants Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security, now that former Sec. Janet Napolitano has resigned to become president of the University of California System.

The Houston Chronicle reported that CBC Chairwoman Marcia Fudge sent a letter to President Barack Obama last week to “encourage [him] to strongly consider” Jackson Lee for the Cabinet post.

“Representative Jackson Lee would serve as an effective DHS Secretary because she understands the importance of increasing border security and maintaining homeland safety,” the letter says.

It cites Jackson Lee’s former position as Chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, saying that in that role, she “supported increased airplane cargo inspections and increased security for railroads, issues of great importance to the security of this nation and its citizens.”

The letter says she “stands as a strong and honest ‘voice of reason'” in her current position as ranking member on another Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

Neither Jackson Lee’s office nor the Congressional Black Caucus responded to request for comment.

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