Political positions
On December 11, 2013, McCaul introduced legislation to require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct cybersecurity activities on behalf of the federal government and codify DHS's role in preventing and responding to cybersecurity incidents involving the information technology (IT) systems of federal civilian agencies and critical infrastructure in the U.S. McCaul said the bill was "an important step toward addressing the cyber threat."
On December 18, 2019, McCaul voted against both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Of the 195 Republicans who voted, all voted against both impeachment articles. He also voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack encouraged by Trump's false claims of electoral fraud. However, unlike Trump and most Republican legislators, McCaul did not sign the Texas v. Pennsylvania amicus brief to file a motion in support of the case.
In April 2019, McCaul spoke out against a resolution that would end U.S. involvement in the Yemeni Civil War, saying it would "disrupt US security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries."
In 2021, McCaul strongly supported President Joe Biden's airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria.
McCaul said he supports heavily arming Ukraine with the weapons they need to win the Russo-Ukrainian War. He believes the United States should send fighter jets and more missiles to Ukraine. In February 2023, McCaul met the President of Ukraine in Kyiv and advocated for the United States to send more military aid to Ukraine, especially ATACMS.
In April 2023, during a meeting with Taiwanese officials, McCaul compared General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping to Adolf Hitler.
On April 23, 2023, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions over McCaul, alleging his frequent interference in China's "internal affairs." In the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections, McCaul was targeted by the Chinese government's Spamouflage influence operation.
In November 2024, McCaul announced he was stepping down as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
McCaul supported President Donald Trump's proposals to build a wall along the Mexico–United States border. He supports the Remain in Mexico policy.
Around the time of the introduction of Protecting Americans' Sensitive Data from Foreign Adversaries, the act including the TikTok ban, McCaul received attention for purchasing stock in Meta.
