    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 8, 2007]
    [Pages 119-120]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Briefing at the Department of Homeland Security
    February 8, 2007

        Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for
    the hospitality. I appreciate you inviting me over to hear what has been
    a substantive briefing by your different operating entities.
        First of all, I'm very proud of the hard work of the men and women
    of the Homeland Security Department. This vital Department is actively
    engaged in the war on terror. We are still a nation at risk. Part of our
    strategy, of course, is to stay on the offense against terrorists who
    would do us harm. In other words, it is important to defeat them
    overseas so we never have to face them here. Nevertheless, we recognize
    that we've got to be fully prepared here at the homeland.
        Part of that preparation requires a robust budget. And we submitted
    the budget; you testified on the budget. It's about an 8-percent
    increase in the budgets of the Homeland Security Department.
        This Department works to secure our borders. And I appreciate very
    much, Ralph, you and your department's hard
    work of doing a difficult job, and that is doing what the American
    people expect, and that is to have secure borders. But we're making good
    progress. We're modernizing a border that needed to be modernized,
    whether it be through fencing or the different types of high-tech
    investments.
        I firmly believe that in order for your Border Patrol agents to be
    able to do their job, we need a guest-worker program, so that people
    don't have to sneak in our country, and, therefore, we can really enable
    your good folks to be able to focus on terrorism, drug runners, gun
    runners.
        I appreciate so very much the fact that we've got a wise strategy to
    effect the security of our ports, cargo. We've got a lot of good people
    working hard overseas. In other words, we're inspecting cargo before it
    leaves a port--a foreign port--so that the first line of defense is away
    from our shores or away from our ports. And we've got a lot of good
    people working hard to achieve that.
        I appreciate so very much the effort of TSA. You've got a hard job.
    It's a job that really was a response to 9/11, and that is, we don't
    want people getting on our airplanes that will terrorize our fellow
    citizens again. And I fully recognize that there are thousands of hard-
    working people that are trying to do their best to, on the one hand,
    accommodate our fellow citizens as they travel; on the other hand,
    protect our country from attack.
        We also talked about the need to have effective response if there is
    a emergency, if there is a catastrophe. And one agency that has been
    under fire and that needed to be reorganized was FEMA, and I asked David
    Paulison to do just that. We took the
    lessons learned from Katrina and applied it to this vital Agency. And
    this Agency was recently tested through the tornadoes there in central
    Florida. And I want to thank you, Dave, and your team for a quick
    response to help the poor citizens who were affected by that natural
    disaster.
        The Department of Homeland Security was initially melded together by
    organizations that tended to be stovepiped, independently run
    organizations that we felt needed to be brought under the central

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    planning, the central organizing principle of a single department.
        The organization of such a vast enterprise has been difficult and
    complicated. Nevertheless, there is noticeable and substantial and
    measurable progress. And I appreciate all the hard-working folks for
    putting together an institute, part of our Government, all aiming to
    protect the American people.
        And so, Secretary, thank you for the
    invitation. I appreciate the hard work of the people of this Department.
    I oftentimes say to the American people that you can go about your
    business; you can run your enterprises; you can send your children to
    school knowing full well that there are thousands of our fellow citizens
    who work every day, 24 hours, to help you by protecting this homeland.
    And this is where it all starts. And I thank you for your hard work.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 4:20 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to W.
    Ralph Basham, Commissioner, Customs and Border Protection.