Rep. Peter King (R., N.Y.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, tells National Review Online that the 87-strong class of Republican freshmen is not only hawkish on fiscal issues, but on the national-security front, too. “I believe they have the same mindset that I have, that [Rep. Dan] Lungren has, that others have,” he says.
“The ones who have reached out to me, and those assigned to the committee, all seem to share my beliefs: totally aggressive against terrorism, recognizing that it’s a real threat to the country, and that threats will always be with us,” King says.
To reach out to the newcomers, King has tapped first-term Rep. Patrick Meehan, a Republican and former U.S. attorney from the Philadelphia suburbs, to be subcommittee chairman.