Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) lost his effort to serve as leader of the Homeland Security Committee to fellow Republican rep. Mark Green (R-TN).
The decision was one of many committee roles determined on Monday as the party chose leaders after finishing the selection of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as House speaker last week.
Mark Green Edges Out Dan Crenshaw To Lead Homeland Security Panel https://t.co/lfbGYX89co
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) January 9, 2023
"First elected in 2018 and a member of the House Freedom Caucus, Green replaces Rep. John Katko (R-NY) as the top Republican member of the Homeland Security Committee after Katko did not seek re-election in the 2022 midterm cycle. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) chaired the panel during the last session of Congress while he also led the January 6 Committee," The Daily Wire reported.
"Green faced Crenshaw, a fellow combat veteran, in the contest to become the next chairman after the Republicans won control of the House last year. Crenshaw issued an apology on Sunday for referring to some of his GOP colleagues as 'terrorists' during negotiations that led to the election of McCarthy as House speaker," it added.
I'm grateful to @SpeakerMcCarthy and the House Republican Steering Committee for entrusting me with this task; it's time to get to work and fulfill our Commitment to America! /2 pic.twitter.com/VFLYcxDNIm
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) January 9, 2023
Crenshaw was under recent controversy over referring to the 20 Republican holdouts who would not support McCarthy as House speakers as "terrorists" who were holding the House hostage.
He later walked back the remarks during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday, arguing that the wording was not meant literally.
“Look, things get heated and things get said. Obviously, to people who took offense by that, it’s pretty obvious that it’s meant as a turn of phrase,” Crenshaw said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Jake Tapper.
“I’ve got pretty thick skin. I’m called awful, vile things by the very same wing of the party that I was fighting at that moment,” he continued.
"So, I was a little taken aback by the sensitivity of it. But to the extent that I have colleagues that were offended by it, I sincerely apologize to them. I don’t want them to think I actually believe they’re terrorists. It’s clearly a turn of phrase that you use in an intransigent negotiation," he added.
On #CNNSOTU with @jaketapper, @RepDanCrenshaw discusses the GOP infighting that led to the stalled House speaker vote. https://t.co/aORnzxukRG
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) January 8, 2023
Crenshaw's strong language toward his own party may be part of his downfall in popularity among some Republicans.
The committee change will be a big one, allowing the GOP to lead on issues of Homeland Security after two years of Democrats leading the group.