[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book I)]
[March 3, 2005]
[Pages 350-352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at a Swearing-In Ceremony for Michael Chertoff as Secretary of Homeland Security
March 3, 2005
I'm pleased to be here at the Department of Homeland Security with
our new Secretary, Michael Chertoff. And I'm honored to share this
moment with Meryl and their children.
This is the third time, not the first or second but the third time
that I've asked Mike to serve our Nation. I keep asking him back for a
reason: He is a talented public servant, with an outstanding record of
achievement and a deep commitment to the cause of justice. As a Federal
court of appeals judge, Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Attorney, and
Federal prosecutor, Mike has worked tirelessly to make our people safer
and our Nation more secure. And now he will carry on that vital work as
the Secretary of Homeland Security.
I appreciate Michael's in-laws for being here. Always a good thing,
Mike--[laughter]--to listen to your mother-in-law. [Laughter]
I thank Justice Sandra Day O'Connor,
not only for being here to administer the oath of office but for serving
our Nation with such class and such dignity. I want to thank the Members
of the United States Senate, Senator Lautenberg and Senator Corzine from New
Jersey, for being here, and thank you for helping shepherd this good
man's nomination through the Senate. I want to thank all the Members of
the House of Representatives who are here, and there is a lot from New
Jersey that have joined us. I want to thank the members of my Cabinet
who are here, and former members of my Cabinet. And I want to thank the
employees of the Department of Homeland Security. You have got a great
boss.
Since September the 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented steps to
protect the American people. We have assembled a strong coalition of
nations to secure our respective countries. We have closed down
terrorists' networks and chased down their leaders in mountains and
deserts around the world. We've removed two dangerous regimes that
harbored terrorists and threatened the peace. We convinced a third to
voluntarily abandon its nuclear and chemical weapons programs. We have
broken up the world's most dangerous nuclear trading network and busted
up terrorist cells around the globe.
We have been relentless and we will continue to be relentless in our
mission to secure the people of this country. From
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Florida to California to Massachusetts, we have arrested and prosecuted
terrorist operatives and their supporters. By our actions, we are
sending the world a clear message that terrorists will not be permitted
sanctuary or safe haven or the tools of mass murder.
As we have taken the battle to the enemy, we have also taken
extraordinary measures to better protect the homeland. We've carried out
the largest reorganization of Government in a half century, merging
180,000 people from 22 Government organizations into a single Department
with a single mission, protecting America from attack. The success of
the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security do not always
make the headlines. But I understand what you've done, and I appreciate
your hard work. By your tireless efforts behind the scenes, you have
helped protect our citizens and secure our Nation, and this country is
grateful for all you do.
In the last 2 years, this Department has implemented a vigorous new
strategy to guard our borders, posting Homeland Security personnel at
foreign ports, strengthening airport and seaport security, and
instituting better visa screening for those entering the United States.
We've taken important steps to protect our Nation's critical
infrastructure, our bridges and tunnels and nuclear powerplants and
water treatment facilities and the cyber networks that keep our
Government and our economy running.
This Department has also taken action to strengthen the hand of our
partners in State and local law enforcement. Local police and other
authorities are those most likely to encounter terrorists, and we're
giving them the tools and information they need to do their jobs. We've
established secure connections to emergency operations centers in every
State and every Governor's office to ensure that they get threat
information on a real-time basis. We've helped States establish mutual
aid agreements and reasonable response plans, so that when first-
responders need help from their neighbors, they can be sure the right
assistance will get to the right people at the right time.
We've provided more than $14 billion over the last 4 years to train
and equip State and local first-responders across America, funds for
mobile command centers, communications equipment, mobile decontamination
equipment, HAZMAT trucks, mobile WMD detection equipment, and other
capabilities they need to protect our citizens and our communities.
Since 2001, we've trained more than 600,000 first-responders and more
than tripled spending on homeland security. And all of you in this
Department and the Members of the Congress can be proud of the
accomplishments and the progress we have made.
You have done all this and more under the skilled leadership of Tom
Ridge. Tom is a longtime friend, and I thank him
for his leadership and his dedicated service to our country.
And I have found an able successor in Mike Chertoff. As the 9/11
Commission said in its report, America is safer because of your efforts,
but we are not yet safe. Mike Chertoff knows we cannot afford to become
complacent. He understands that as we adapt our defenses, the terrorists
will adapt their tactics in response. He understands they continue to
pose a great threat to the American people.
Recently, we learned that Usama bin Laden has urged the terrorist Zarqawi to form a group to
conduct attacks outside Iraq, including here in the United States. We're
on a constant hunt for bin Laden. We're keeping the pressure on him,
keeping him in hiding. And today, Zarqawi understands that coalition and Iraqi troops are on a
constant hunt for him as well. Coalition and Iraqi forces have caught
and killed several of his key lieutenants. We're working every day and
night to dismantle his network and to bring him to justice.
Bin Laden's message is a telling
reminder that Al Qaida still hopes to attack
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us on our own soil. Stopping them is the greatest challenge of our day.
And under Mike's leadership, we will do everything in our power to meet
that challenge. Mike is wise, and he is tough--in a good way. [Laughter]
And he knows the nature of the enemy. As head of the Criminal Division
at the Department of Justice, Mike helped trace the September 11th
attacks to the Al Qaida network. And it didn't take him very long to do
so. He understands that the terrorists are brutal and determined and
that to stop them, all our agencies must work more closely together
using every resource and technological advantage we have.
I have given Mike an ambitious agenda to carry out. We will continue
to work to fully integrate the agencies within the Homeland Security
Department. We will build on the progress that has been made. We will
continue working to reduce our Nation's vulnerabilities and prepare
effective responses for any future attack. We will speed the development
of new 21st century vaccines and treatments to protect Americans against
biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological attacks. We will
continue our historic investments in homeland security to match the
threats facing our country. We will protect the American people from new
dangers while protecting their civil liberties.
Mike understands that we need to work closely with State and local
officials because he has shared their vantage point. Like men and women
who wear our Nation's uniform on distant battlefields, those who wear
the uniform here at home risk their lives every day to protect our
people. By their service and sacrifice, our police, our firefighters,
and emergency rescue personnel are making the homeland safer. And our
Nation must constantly thank them for their work.
Mike is the right person to lead this Department in this vital work.
He knows that to win the war on terror abroad, we always must remember
where it began, here in the homeland. He will be an outstanding
Secretary of Homeland Security. Mike, thank you for willing--for your
willingness to serve our Nation once again. God bless.
Note: The President spoke at 9:25 a.m. at the Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center. In his remarks, he referred to Meryl
Chertoff, wife of Secretary Chertoff; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al
Qaida terrorist organization; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al
Zarqawi; and the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States (9/11 Commission). The transcript released by the Office
of the Press Secretary also included the remarks of Secretary Chertoff.