Ben Cassidy

Ben Cassidy serves as the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security. As Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, Mr. Cassidy acts as the Department’s principal liaison with the U.S. Congress, coordinating and overseeing the Department’s legislative activity, working closely with authorization, appropriations, and oversight committees of the House and Senate to ensure that the Department’s priorities are reflected throughout the legislative and oversight process, and advises the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other senior leadership of the Department on legislative matters. Mr. Cassidy also leads the confirmation process for all DHS Presidential nominees who require Senate confirmation. Prior to joining DHS, he was a senior executive at The Boeing Company, leading international business development and government relations assignments in the defense sector. He was also Vice President for Legislative Operations at Raytheon. Prior to moving to The Boeing Company, Ben supported Senator John Warner of Virginia as the senator’s defense and foreign policy legislative assistant. Ben retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2002 following a 26-year career as an infantry officer assigned to the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Marine Divisions. Other Marine Corps career highlights included duty with the Brazilian Marine Corps as well as assignments to the Chilean Naval War College and the U.S. State Department in Washington. He was born in Massachusetts and is a graduate of Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in International Relations and Latin American Studies and holds a Master of Arts degree from Georgetown University in National Security Studies. He is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian. Ben is married to the former Kathleen Jordan and they have three children, Alanna, Benjamin and Caroline. They reside in Alexandria, Virginia.