its wide jurisdiction. Higgins was subsequently appointed to serve on the Ways and Means Committee's subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures and its subcommittee on Oversight. After the GOP takeover of the House following the 2010 elections, Higgins left the Ways and Means Committee (while maintaining a right to return) and became a member of the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the United States House Committee on Homeland Security. On the latter, Higgins quickly rose to the position of Ranking Member of the United States House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. Committee assignments United States House Committee on Ways and Means United States House Committee on the Budget Caucus memberships Co-chair, member, House Cancer Caucus Co-chair, Revitalizing Older Cities Task Force Former co-chair, member, Great Lakes Task Force Former co-chair, member, House Cancer Caucus Former co-chair, Historic Preservation Caucus Former co-chair, member, Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition Former co-chair, Northern Border Caucus Member, House Steel Caucus Member, China Caucus Member, Arts Caucus Medicare for All Caucus Congressional Arts Caucus Afterschool Caucuses Blue Collar Caucus Political positions Social Security On a previous policy position from his website, Higgins said: "For too long, the Social Security Administration has under-funded and under-staffed hearing offices in Western New York ... Citizens who have contributed to the Social Security system throughout their lives should have proper customer service when their benefits come due." In 2010, Higgins and many other congressional members sent President Barack Obama a letter, encouraging him to keep Social Security and make it stronger, saying: "We write today to express our strong support for Social Security and our view that it should be strengthened. We oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits, including raising the retirement age. We also oppose any effort to privatize Social Security, in whole or in part ... Cutting Social Security benefits beyond the already scheduled increase in the retirement age from 65 to 67 would create even more needless hardship for millions of vulnerable Americans." This was in response to Obama giving the task of cutting government spending to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform on October 15, 2010. The letter also stressed that Social Security is "prohibited by law from adding to the national budget deficit". Higgins opposes privatizing Social Security. He "support[s] full funding for the Social Security Administration to process checks on time; fight against waste, fraud, and abuse; and