Houston Daily

U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) announced on Monday that he will not seek another term in Congress. McCaul, who has served since 2005 and is a former chairman of the House Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees, said he will complete his current term representing Texas through the end of the 119th Congress.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to represent the people of central Texas and to chair the prestigious Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs Committees,” said Chairman McCaul. “My father’s service in World War II inspired me to pursue a life of public service, with a focus on defending our great nation against global threats, and I have been proud to carry out that mission in Congress for more than two decades. I am ready for a new challenge in 2027 and look forward to continuing to serve my country in the national security and foreign policy realm.”

Before entering Congress, McCaul held several roles in law enforcement and legal fields, including chief of counterterrorism and national security at the U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Texas, deputy attorney general under then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, and as a federal prosecutor at the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.

McCaul was selected by colleagues for leadership positions on key committees: as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security from 2013-2019; Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 2019-2023; Chairman from 2023-2025; and as head of the China Task Force, which later became part of a select committee focused on issues related to China.

During his time leading the Homeland Security Committee, McCaul oversaw congressional investigations into major incidents such as the Boston Marathon bombing. The investigation led to changes in how federal agencies share information about potential threats.

His tenure also included authoring legislation that established CISA—the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency—within DHS. He was responsible for passing reauthorizations affecting TSA operations and broader homeland security measures.

On foreign affairs, McCaul played a role during significant events including the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, conflict in Israel after October 7th attacks, and increased tensions with China. He helped advance legislation aimed at strengthening U.S. alliances, export controls related to sensitive technology, sanctions against adversaries like Iran and Russia, support for Ukraine’s defense efforts, backing Israel after Hamas attacks, supporting Taiwan amid pressure from China, improving defense industrial capacity through legislative initiatives such as AUKUS implementation measures with allies Australia and Britain.

McCaul led oversight investigations into issues such as COVID-19 origins—resulting in reports corroborated by subsequent administration findings—and U.S. actions during Afghanistan withdrawal.

He advocated for Americans detained abroad; authored conservation bills included in major defense legislation; worked on anti-human trafficking policies codified into law; promoted bipartisan efforts on child cancer research via caucuses he co-founded; introduced bills targeting malnutrition worldwide; modernized USAID branding practices; among other legislative accomplishments.

Throughout his career in Congress, McCaul consistently won reelection by significant margins over Democratic challengers: In 2024 he defeated Theresa Boisseau with about 64% of votes (221-118), while previous elections saw similar results against Linda Nuno (2022), Mike Siegel (2020/2018), Tawana Walter-Cadien (2016/2014), according to available election data.

He has received recognition for bipartisan effectiveness—being named most effective Republican during one session—and received awards including one from Former Members of Congress for statesmanship.