[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[October 1, 2003]
[Pages 1219-1222]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Signing the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations
Act, 2004
October 1, 2003
Thank you for the warm welcome. Please be seated, unless you don't
have a seat. [Laughter] I'm proud to be with the men and women of the
newest agency of our Government. And today I'm honored to sign the first
appropriations bill for this Department.
Many of you have served your country for years, in agencies with
proud histories and honored traditions. Some of you are new to the
Federal service. All of us share a great responsibility. Our job is to
secure the American homeland, to protect the American people. And we're
meeting that duty together.
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On September the 11th, 2001, enemies of freedom made our country a
battleground. Their method is the mass murder of the innocent, and their
goal is to make all Americans live in fear. Yet our Nation refuses to
live in fear. And the best way to overcome fear and to frustrate the
plans of our enemies is to be prepared and resolute at home and to take
the offensive abroad.
The danger to America gives all of you an essential role in the war
on terror. You've done fine work under difficult and urgent
circumstances, and on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you all for
what you do for the security and safety of our fellow citizens.
I appreciate Tom Ridge agreeing to lead this
important Department. I'm honored to call him friend, and I'm proud of
the job he is doing. I appreciate General John Gordon, who is the Homeland Security Adviser in the White House.
I want to thank the very capable Department of Homeland Security
leadership who are with us today.
I'm also honored to share this bill signing with Members of the
United States Senate and the United States House of Representative who
did an excellent job of getting this bill through. I appreciate so very
much the Senator from Mississippi, Thad Cochran, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee
on Homeland Security. I'm also honored that three Members of the House
are up here to join in the bill signing ceremony, starting with the
chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Bill Young of Florida; Hal Rogers
of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Homeland Security; Congressman Martin Sabo
from Minnesota, the ranking member of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Homeland Security. I want to thank you all for a job
well done.
I'm also so pleased that Members in the Senate and the House of both
political parties are with us today. The stage wasn't big enough to hold
you. Thank you for coming. Thanks for your hard work, and thanks for
working together to do what's right for America.
This time 2 years ago, America was still in the midst of a national
emergency. Smoke was rising from Ground Zero; recovery teams were
carefully sifting through debris; and chaplains were comforting families
and blessing the dead. Our Nation does not live in the past; yet we do
not forget the past and the grief of that time. We do not forget the men
and women and children who were lost that day. We do not forget the
enemies who rejoiced as America suffered or those who seek to inflict
more pain and grief on our country.
September the 11th, America accepted a great mission, and that
mission continues to this hour. We will do everything in our power to
prevent another attack on the American people. And wherever America's
enemies plot and plan, we'll find them, and we will bring them to
justice.
The war on terror has set urgent priorities for America abroad. We
are not waiting while dangers gather. Along with fine allies, we are
waging a global campaign against terrorist networks, disrupting their
operations, cutting off their funding, and we are hunting down their
leaders one by one. We're enforcing a clear doctrine: If you harbor a
terrorist, if you feed a terrorist, if you support a terrorist, you're
just as guilty as the terrorists, and you can expect to share their
fate.
We're determined to prevent terror networks from gaining weapons of
mass destruction. We're committed to spreading democracy and tolerance.
As we hunt down the terrorists, we're committed to spending--spreading
freedom in all parts of the world, including the Middle East. By
removing the tyrants in Iraq and Afghanistan who supported terror and by
ending the hopelessness that feeds terror, we're helping the people of
that region, and we're strengthening the security of America.
The war on terror has also set urgent priorities here at home.
Oceans no longer
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protect us from danger. And we're taking unprecedented measures to
prevent terrorist attacks, reduce our vulnerabilities, and to prepare
for any emergency. That's what you're doing. Each of you plays a vital
role in this strategy to better secure America. Agencies that once
worked separately to safeguard our country are now working together in a
single Department, and that's good for America. You have the authority
to quickly put the right people in place as we respond to danger. You've
got good leadership. Every member of this Department has an important
calling, and you need to know, when you come to work every day, your
fellow citizens are counting on you.
Those in Customs and Immigration are performing essential work in
controlling our borders and, at the same time, in reducing the backlog
of immigrant applicants as we move toward a standard of 6-month
processing time for all applications. At the Transportation Security
Administration and the Coast Guard, you protect the vast road, rail, and
sea and air networks that are critical to the American economy. DHS
scientists and engineers work to detect deadly chemical, biological, and
nuclear weapons. DHS experts help the public and private sectors to
identify and address vulnerabilities in our power grids, chemical
plants, communications systems, and transportation networks. At FEMA,
you joined forces with State and local authorities to respond quickly
and effectively to any emergency.
All of you have been given a hard job, and you're rising to the
challenge. The American people understand the importance of your work,
and so does the United States Congress. The Homeland Security bill I
will sign today commits $31 billion to securing our Nation, over $14
billion more than pre-September 11th levels. The bill increases funding
for the key responsibilities at the Department of Homeland Security and
supports important new initiatives across the Department.
We're providing $5.6 billion over the next decade to fund Project
BioShield. Under this program, DHS will work with the Department of
Health and Human Services to accelerate the development and procurement
of advanced vaccines and treatments to protect Americans against
biological or chemical or radiological threats.
We're providing $4 billion in grants for our Nation's first-
responders. We're focusing $725 million on major urban areas where it is
most needed. We're also providing $40 million for Citizen Corps Councils
through which volunteers work with first-responders to prepare their
communities for emergencies. We're ensuring that America's firefighters
and police officers and emergency medical personnel have the best
possible training and equipment and help they need to do their job.
We're better securing our borders and transportation systems while
facilitating the flow of legitimate commerce. Our Container Security
Initiative will allow for the screening of high-risk cargo at the
world's largest ports and intercept dangerous materials before they
reach our shores, supporting the efforts to strengthen our air cargo
security system for passenger aircraft, to expand research on cargo
screening technologies. We're making sure the Coast Guard has the
resources to deploy additional maritime safety and security teams and
patrol boats and sea marshals to protect our ports and waterways.
More than $900 million in this bill will go to science and
technology projects, including a major effort to anticipate and counter
the use of biological weapons. With more than $800 million, we will
assess the vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructures; we'll take
action to protect them.
We're doing a lot here. And we're expecting a lot of you. When the
terrorist enemies came into our country and took thousands of innocent
lives, we made a decision in this country: We will not wait for enemies
to strike again. We'll take action to stop them. We're not going to
stand
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by while terrorists and their state sponsors plot, plan, and grow in
strength. By the actions that we continue to take abroad, we are going
to remove grave threats to America and the world. History has given us
that charge, and that is a charge we will keep.
We have been charged to protect our homeland as well. And that's why
we're taking actions to strengthen our defenses and to make our Nation
more secure. This bill is a major step forward in our ongoing effort,
and I'm pleased to sign into law the Department of Homeland Security
Appropriations Act of 2004.
May God bless you all.
Note: The President spoke at 2:07 p.m. at the Department of Homeland
Security. H.R. 2555, approved October 1, was assigned Public Law No.
108-90. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
language transcript of these remarks.