Senate gives final OK to next Homeland Security boss - New York Daily News

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[h=4]Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images[/h]Jeh Johnson testifies Nov. 13 before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security. The U.S. Senate voted Monday to give Johnson final approval.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Monday confirmed New York native Jeh Johnson to serve as the fourth head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Johnson, 56, a former Manhattan federal prosecutor and top Pentagon lawyer, will oversee aviation and border security, immigration enforcement, disaster response and the awarding of counterterrorism grants.
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[h=4]J. Scott Applewhite/AP[/h][h=4]U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), pictured, says Jeh Johnson assured him that he was committed to fighting terror.[/h]
A group of conservative Republicans who were not convinced of Johnson’s commitment to enforcing immigration law were among 16 senators who voted against the nominee.
One of them, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), said the department needed a tough ex-cop in charge, not a lawyer.
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[h=4]Susan Walsh/AP[/h][h=4]Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) did not vote for Jeh Johnson, saying  of the now-confirmed head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: 'I’m not saying he’s not a good man, I’m saying that he’s not a good choice.'[/h]
“I’m not saying he’s not a good man, I’m saying that he’s not a good choice,” Sessions said.
Rep. Pete King (R-L.I.) said he had received Johnson’s assurance that the new secretary is committed to fighting terror, despite a 2012 speech by Johnson calling for an eventual end to the war against it.
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Johnson’s was among the first nominations approved since Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) tossed the requirement for a filibuster-proof, 60-vote supermajority to confirm President Obama’s picks.
Only 57 senators voted to end debate and proceed with the final vote, a number that would have been insufficient under the old rules.

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