Michael McCaul facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael McCaul
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| Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2023 – January 3, 2025 |
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| Preceded by | Gregory Meeks |
| Succeeded by | Brian Mast |
| Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Eliot Engel |
| Succeeded by | Gregory Meeks |
| Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Peter King |
| Succeeded by | Bennie Thompson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 10th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Lloyd Doggett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Michael Thomas McCaul Sr.
January 14, 1962 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Linda Mays |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Trinity University (BA) St. Mary's University, Texas (JD) |
Michael Thomas McCaul Sr. was born on January 14, 1962. He is an American lawyer and politician. He serves as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for the 10th district of Texas. He is part of the Republican Party.
McCaul has held important leadership roles in Congress. He was the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security for several years. Since 2023, he has been the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. His district covers areas from Austin to Houston in Texas.
Early Life and Education
Michael McCaul was born in Dallas, Texas. He comes from English, Irish, and German family backgrounds. He went to Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Trinity University in San Antonio in 1984. Three years later, he received a law degree (Juris Doctor) from St. Mary's University. He also studied at Harvard Kennedy School.
Legal Career Before Politics
Before becoming a politician, McCaul worked as a lawyer. He was a federal prosecutor, which means he worked for the government to bring legal cases against people. He was the Chief of Counterterrorism and National Security for the U.S. Attorney's office in Texas. He also worked for the Department of Justice.
From 1999 to 2002, McCaul served as a Deputy Attorney General in the Texas Attorney General's Office.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Elections to Congress
Michael McCaul first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2004. He won the Republican primary election in the new 10th District of Texas. This district was considered very Republican, so he won the main election easily.
He has been re-elected many times since then. In 2006, he won against Ted Ankrum and Michael Badnarik. He was re-elected in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. In 2018, he had his closest election, winning by a small margin against Mike Siegel. He won again in 2020 and 2022, continuing to represent his district.
Key Political Ideas
Cybersecurity Efforts
McCaul has worked on laws to improve cybersecurity. In 2013, he introduced a bill to help the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) protect government computer systems. This bill aimed to make DHS responsible for preventing and responding to cyberattacks. McCaul said this was an important step to fight cyber threats.
Views on Donald Trump
In 2019, McCaul voted against removing President Donald Trump from office during his first impeachment. He also voted against creating a special group to investigate the events of January 6, 2021. However, he did not support a lawsuit that tried to challenge the 2020 election results.
Foreign Affairs Stances
McCaul has strong opinions on international issues. In 2019, he spoke against ending U.S. involvement in the Yemeni Civil War. He believed it would harm security agreements with other countries.
In 2021, he supported President Joe Biden's military strikes on Iranian targets in Syria. He also strongly supports sending weapons to Ukraine to help them in the Russo-Ukrainian War. He believes the U.S. should send fighter jets and more missiles to Ukraine. In 2023, he visited Ukraine's President Zelenskyy and asked for more military aid, including advanced missiles.
In April 2023, McCaul compared Chinese President Xi Jinping to Hitler during a meeting with officials from Taiwan. Because of this, the Chinese government announced that they would place restrictions on McCaul. In 2024, he was also targeted by a Chinese government online influence campaign.
In November 2024, McCaul announced he would step down as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Immigration Policy
McCaul supports building a wall along the Mexico–United States border. He also supports the "Remain in Mexico" policy, which requires asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are processed.
TikTok and Technology
When a law was proposed to ban TikTok in the U.S., McCaul gained attention for buying stock in Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram.
Taliban Funding Concerns
In 2024, Shawn Ryan asked McCaul to introduce a law to stop the U.S. government from supposedly funding the Taliban. Ryan later said that McCaul had not taken action on this request.
Committee and Group Memberships
McCaul is involved in several important groups in Congress:
- Committee on Foreign Affairs (Chairman)
- Committee on Homeland Security
- He helped start and co-chairs the Congressional High Tech Caucus.
- He also co-founded and co-chairs the Childhood Cancer Caucus.
- He is a co-chair of the Congressional Cyber Security Caucus.
- He is a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Sudan and South Sudan.
- He co-founded the Congressional Argentina Caucus.
- He is a member of the Tuberculosis Elimination Caucus.
- He is a member of the United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus.
- He is part of the Republican Governance Group.
- He is a member of the Republican Study Committee.
Personal Life
Michael McCaul is married to Linda Mays McCaul. Her father, Lowry Mays, founded Clear Channel Communications, a large media company.
In 2011, a report named McCaul as one of the wealthiest members of the United States Congress. His wealth increased significantly due to money transfers from his wife's family.
McCaul and his family live in West Lake Hills, Texas, a wealthy area near Austin. He is a devout Catholic. He has criticized Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega for his actions against the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.
