Transportation and Maritime Security

The Transportation and Maritime Security Subcommittee is a specialized panel within the House Committee on Homeland Security that focuses on a critical slice of the parent committee's broader security mission. While the full Homeland Security Committee addresses threats across all sectors of the homeland, this subcommittee narrows its focus to the security of transportation systems and maritime operations. It maintains oversight of two major federal agencies: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The subcommittee examines how these agencies protect passengers, cargo, airports, aircraft, ports, and surface transportation infrastructure including mass transit, railroads, highways, and pipelines. This specialized jurisdiction reflects the unique vulnerabilities of transportation networks and the need for dedicated congressional attention to aviation and maritime security threats.

Chaired by Representative Carlos A. Gimenez (R-FL), with Ranking Member LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), the seven-member subcommittee brings together members from both parties to review security policies and agency performance. Recent subcommittee activity has included hearings on emerging threats to port security and infrastructure, examinations of unmanned aerial systems (drones) as security threats, and reviews of TSA's budget requests and operational practices. The subcommittee has also examined strategic maritime challenges, including China's influence over critical chokepoints like the Panama Canal, and has held hearings on the Coast Guard's Polar Security Cutter Program and other modernization efforts. These hearings allow the subcommittee to assess whether current security measures are adequate and to prepare recommendations for the full committee's consideration.