    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [March 2, 2004]
    [Pages 291-295]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on the Anniversary of the United States Department of Homeland
    Security
    March 2, 2004

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Please be seated--unless, of
    course, you don't have a seat. [Laughter] Thanks for the warm welcome.
    I'm honored to join the proud men and women of the Department of
    Homeland Security in celebrating this agency's first anniversary.
        Many of you were here from day one. Others have come aboard in the
    days since. Yet, from the President to the Secretary to the newest employee, all of us here are tasked with a
    single, vital mission, to secure the American homeland and to protect
    the American people. There is no duty more important. We're meeting that
    duty together, and on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you all for
    what you do to defend our country.
        I appreciate Secretary Ridge's leadership. I
    plucked him out of the ranks of the Governors because I knew he knew how
    to manage and to set an agenda. He has not let me down. Along with the
    other leaders here, he and the team are doing a fantastic job of leading
    this Department. I appreciate Deputy Secretary Jim Loy as well for his outstanding leadership. I want to thank
    all the officials who are here.
        I appreciate the Members of the United States Congress who have
    come. Two Texans, Mac Thornberry and Jim
    Turner, I appreciate you all being here. I
    appreciate Jennifer Dunn from the great State
    of Washington and Chris Cox from the State
    of California. Thanks for taking time to honor these employees today.
        I appreciate all the employees who are here. I appreciate you
    working hard for the American people. I'm sure people don't thank you
    enough. Well, I'm here to thank you as much as an individual possibly
    can, for working the long hours, for taking the risks on behalf of the
    security of this country.
        Today I had the honor of meeting the family of Agent Jimmy
    Epling. Jimmy was the first Department of
    Homeland Security employee to be killed in the line of duty. He did so
    rescuing an individual. He risked his life to save a life. And on behalf
    of our Nation, Monica and Seth and Shaine and Sean and James, and his
    loving parents, Ken and Amy, thank you for raising such a good son and thank you for
    having such a good husband. Boys, you need to be proud of your daddy.
    Thanks for coming.

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        Two-and-a-half years ago, our Nation saw war and grief arrive on a
    quiet September morning. From that day to this, we have pursued a clear
    strategy. We are taking the offensive against the terrorists abroad.
    We're taking unprecedented measures to protect the American people here
    at home. The goal of the terrorists is to kill our citizens--that's
    their goal--and to make Americans live in fear. This Nation refuses to
    live in fear. We will stand together until this threat to our Nation and
    to the civilized world is ended.
        We have been called to service. We've been called to action, and we
    accept that responsibility. With fine allies, we are winning the war
    against the terrorists. We're disrupting terrorist operations. We're
    cutting off their funding. We are chasing down their leaders one person
    at a time. We are relentless. We are strong. We refuse to yield. Some
    two-thirds of Al Qaida's key leaders have been captured or killed. The
    rest of them hear us breathing down their neck. We're after them. We
    will not relent. We will bring these killers to justice.
        It is vital our Nation speak with a clear voice, and when we speak,
    we mean what we say. It's essential that this Nation not be a nation of
    empty words but a nation that is determined to do our duty. I laid out a
    doctrine a while ago, and it said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, if you
    feed a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists.'' I meant
    what I said, and so did our Nation. And the Taliban, the brutal
    dictators, the barbarians that ran Afghanistan now fully understand,
    America will keep its commitments and means what it says.
        We delivered an ultimatum to Mr. Saddam Hussein that he listen to the world, disclose and disarm his
    weapons and weapons programs. It's what the world had said time and time
    again. The United States said the same thing. We saw a threat. It was
    time to deal with that threat. Mr. Saddam Hussein had the choice to
    make. He chose defiance. He now sits in a prison cell, and the Iraqi
    people are free and America is more secure.
        We have said we will deal with weapons of mass destruction. We have
    shown the world we mean what we say. With our allies, we're taking
    action to stop the spread of chemical and biological, radiological or
    nuclear weapons. We're working together with our friends to prevent
    terror networks from gaining the means to match their hatred. We're
    confronting states that develop deadly weapons. We're shutting down
    networks that trade in the means to produce the technologies of mass
    murder.
        Nations like Libya have gotten the message and renounced their
    weapons programs. The proliferation network of A.Q. Khan, which sold nuclear secrets to Iran and North Korea, is
    being dismantled. Its top leaders are out of business forever. America
    will not allow terrorists and outlaw regimes to threaten our Nation and
    the world with the world's most dangerous technologies.
        As we work to make this Nation more secure, we're also working with
    a broad coalition of nations to spread freedom. America believes that
    freedom is the Almighty's gift to each and every person who lives in
    this world. That's what we believe. We have liberated more than 50
    million people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those people have our help and
    the help of many nations to build free and democratic nations.
        We seek to spread the benefits of democracy and tolerance and
    freedom throughout the greater Middle East. By opposing the stagnation
    and bitterness that feed terror, this great Nation and our friends are
    bringing hope to millions, thereby strengthening the long-term security
    of America and making the world a more peaceful place.
        We will stay on the offensive. We will not relent, and as we wage
    this war abroad, we must remember where it began, here in our homeland.
    Life in America, in many ways, has returned to normal, and that's

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    positive. It means we're doing our jobs. But life will really never
    return to normal so long as there's an enemy that lurks in the shadows,
    that aims to destroy and kill. The enemies are wounded, but they're not
    broken. They still have desires to strike America again. That's the
    reality with which we live. The reality is, vast oceans can no longer
    protect us, and therefore we must have--and we do have--a clear strategy
    to defend our homeland. Oh, we'll do everything we can to prevent
    attacks on America. As we do so, we'll reduce our vulnerabilities and
    prepare for any attack that might come. That's our duty. That is our
    collective mission.
        To meet the goals, we have tripled Federal funding for homeland
    security since 2001, to some $30.5 billion. I want to thank the Congress
    for working with the administration to make sure these good folks have
    got the ability to implement the strategy to protect our country.
        We've undertaken the most sweeping reorganization of the Federal
    Government since the beginning of the cold war. The FBI has transformed
    itself into an agency dedicated primarily to the prevention of future
    terrorist attacks. The Department of Defense has established a new top
    level command whose priority is to protect the American homeland. We
    established the Terrorist Threat Integration Center to merge and analyze
    in a single place all vital intelligence on global terror. We created
    the Homeland Security Council within the White House--John
    Gordon is here with us today--to help
    coordinate all homeland security activities across our Government.
        We'll face the terrorist threat for years to come. Our Government is
    prepared to meet that threat. One of the most important steps we've
    taken is creating the Department of Homeland Security, combining under
    one roof, with a clear chain of command, many agencies responsible for
    protecting our Nation. All of you go to work every day with a single,
    overriding responsibility, to make this Nation more secure.
        Creating the newest Department of our Federal Government was a tough
    task. It required a lot of hard work, changing some old habits, in order
    to merge into a new strategy and a new Department. You've accomplished
    an historic task. In just 12 months, under the leadership of your
    President, you have made air travel safer; you've strengthened the
    security of our borders and infrastructure; you've taken steps to
    protect the American people from dangerous weapons; and you helped
    prepare our first-responders for any emergency. You faced the challenge
    in standing up this new Department, and you get a--and a gold star for a
    job well done.
        Since September the 11th attacks, we've taken significant steps to
    ensure the safety of air travel. DHS is completing a massive overhaul of
    security at our Nation's airports. Federal air marshals are flying on
    hundreds of commercial flights every day. We are determined to protect
    Americans who travel by plane. We're determined to prevent those planes
    from being used as weapons against us.
        The Department of Homeland Security is strengthening control of all
    our borders and ports of entry, to keep out terrorists and criminals and
    dangerous materials. We're using technology to allow law-abiding
    travelers to cross the border quickly and easily, while our officials
    concentrate on stopping possible threats. We've increased the number of
    border inspectors and improved access to sophisticated databases.
        DHS personnel are checking ships and analyzing manifests to prevent
    high risk cargo from entering our Nation by sea. DHS officials are also
    posted at foreign ports, working with other governments to inspect
    shipments before they're loaded and shipped to America. America welcomes
    tourists and students and businesspeople, legitimate cargo. Yet, we're
    working hard--you're working hard--to make sure our border is closed to
    terrorists and criminals and weapons and illegal drugs.

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        Third, we've worked with State and local governments and the private
    sector to strengthen the defenses of our key infrastructure,
    communication systems and power grids and transportation networks. DHS
    is helping the operators of chemical facilities improve security.
        We're working with Congress on new legislation that establishes
    uniform standards for security at chemical sites and gives DHS the power
    to enforce those standards. We've established the National Cyber
    Security Division to examine cybersecurity incidents and track attacks
    and coordinate nationwide responses. America's infrastructure drives our
    economy and serves our people. We're determined to provide the
    infrastructure with the best possible protection.
        Fourth, we're bringing the best technologies to bear against the
    threat of chemical and biological weapons. We've placed sophisticated
    equipment to detect biological agents in many metropolitan areas. We've
    greatly expanded the strategic national stockpile for drugs and vaccines
    and medical supplies. We now have on hand, for instance, enough smallpox
    vaccine to immunize every American in the case of an emergency.
        Last year, I proposed Project BioShield, which will speed the
    development of new vaccines and treatments for biological agents that
    could be used in a terrorist attack. Congress needs to send this vital
    legislation to my desk. Attacks from a chemical or biological weapon is
    one of the gravest threats our country has ever faced. We're doing what
    is necessary to protect this country.
        Even with all these measures, there's no such thing as perfect
    security in a vast and free country, so as a fifth step, we've worked to
    improve the ability of State and local authorities to respond quickly
    and effectively to emergencies. My administration has provided over $13
    billion to equip and train local officials, such as firefighters and
    police officers and EMS workers and health professionals. I thank the
    Congress for their work on this important measure.
        The new budget proposes additional money, $5 billion, to continue to
    help the first-responders. We're focusing more of our resources on the
    areas of greatest risk. It's essential we set priorities with the
    taxpayers' money, to better protect the American people. And so DHS is
    creating a national incident management plan, a strategy to make sure
    taxpayers' money is wisely spent. Under this plan, first-responders at
    all levels of government will know their responsibilities, will follow a
    clear chain of command, and will be able to work with each other
    effectively in a time of crisis.
        Your hard work is already paying off. The system has proven its
    worth in coordinating responses to such emergencies as Hurricane Isabel
    and the California wildfires. America's first-responders are the first
    on the scene of danger. They need a strategy. They need coordination.
    They need training, and they will get our help.
        This administration has also worked to ensure that those charged
    with defending America from the threat of terror have all the tools
    necessary to fight the terrorists. One of those essential tools is the
    PATRIOT Act, which enables Federal law enforcement officials to track
    terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets. For
    years, we've used similar provisions to catch embezzlers or drug
    traffickers. My attitude is pretty simple on this matter: If these
    methods are good enough for hunting criminals, they're even more
    important for hunting terrorists.
        The PATRIOT Act made other important changes official to the success
    of this new Department. It tore down the walls that blocked the FBI and
    the CIA from sharing intelligence. It's hard to track terrorists if we
    can't share information. It was essential that all elements of law
    enforcement be able to work together to secure this homeland. The
    PATRIOT Act imposed tough new penalties on terrorists and those who
    support them. We want to make it

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    abundantly clear to anybody who wants to hurt America: There will be
    significant penalty. These are responsible measures, fully consistent
    with the United States Constitution.
        Key provisions of the PATRIOT Act are set to expire next year. The
    terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule. You and others in law
    enforcement need this vital legislation to protect our citizens. We
    cannot afford to let down our guard. Congress must renew the PATRIOT
    Act.
        For the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security, the
    past year has been one of progress and achievement. You have risen to
    confront a new threat and to meet unprecedented challenges. You have
    responded to hurricanes and tornadoes and wildfires with incredible
    skill and speed. You've worked hard to protect our borders. You've saved
    lives. You're prepared for greater dangers. You've passed every single
    test. You should be proud of all you've accomplished, and you need to
    know America is proud of you.
        You have done a lot in a year. It's been an incredible year of
    accomplishment, but none of us charged with defending this Nation can
    rest. We must never forget the day when the terrorists left their mark
    of murder on our Nation. We must never forget that day. We will remember
    the sorrow and the anger. We'll also remember the resolve we felt that
    day. All of us have a responsibility that goes on. We will protect this
    country, whatever it takes.
        God bless your work, and may God continue to bless our country.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:06 a.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building
    and International Trade Center. In his remarks, he referred to former
    President Saddam Hussein of Iraq; A.Q. Khan, former head of Pakistan's
    nuclear weapons program; and Gen. John A. Gordon, USAF (Ret.), Assistant
    to the President and Homeland Security Adviser. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.