Washington, D.C. ? A Border Patrol agent-turned-congressman will take over as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee next month, pledging to keep a closer eye on the nation’s spy agencies and the Bush administration.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, chosen Friday by House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi, said in El Paso: “For the first time in about six years, there’s going to be some checks and balances. … We will see true oversight, real consequences.”

Pelosi’s announcement ended speculation within the party about who would get the key position, a question that had created political turmoil for her before she takes her new leadership post.

The California Democrat chose Reyes over two more senior committee Democrats – Jane Harman, of California, and Alcee Hastings, of Florida.

The Texan has said he will demand more information on the Bush administration’s most classified programs, including the detention of enemy combatants and the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance of domestic communications.