[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 28 (Monday, July 15, 2002)]
[Pages 1167-1171]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to Federal Employees on the Proposed Department of Homeland 
Security

July 10, 2002

    Thank you all very much. Please be seated. Thank you. Thanks for 
that warm welcome. It's such a pleasure to be here today, and I want to 
thank you all for coming. I'm here to thank each one of you for your 
dedication to the country we all love. You worked hard prior to 
September the 11th. You're working really hard now, and the American 
people appreciate it a lot, and so do I.
    You know, the amazing thing about America is, our Nation is stronger 
today than it was before the enemy hit. I like to remind people, they 
must have not understood who they were dealing with. They probably 
thought we might file a lawsuit or two--[laughter]--but they didn't 
understand the character of the American people, the strength and 
resolve of our great land to defend that which we hold dear, which is 
freedom. Nor did they understand the energy and drive of the people who 
work on behalf of the American people to do everything we can--and I say 
``we''--we can, to protect and guard our people. And that's what's 
happening today in America, and I want to thank you for your dedication.
    And we've got to do more. We've got to move forward. We've got to 
seize the moment to do everything we can to assure the American people 
that our Government and the fine folks who work on behalf of the 
taxpayers are working in a smart way, in a dedicated way.
    And today I want to talk some about the creation of the Department 
of Homeland Security and why it's important to our country. And I call 
upon your continued sense of duty to our country as we develop the new 
plans. Oh, it's not going to be easy, and the challenges are going to be 
great. But there's no doubt in my mind that we'll do what's necessary--
do what's necessary--to protect America.
    I want to thank Chung for her introduction. Backstage, we had a 
picture taken. I said, ``Only in America''--only in America do we have 
somebody as dedicated as--people like Chung, who are willing to 
sacrifice on behalf of the United States of America, use their time and 
talent and energy like everybody in this hall to work for others. So, 
Chung, thanks for your hard work, thanks for your dedication to your 
job, and thanks for representing the good folks in this hall.
    When I go back to Crawford, people say--or I see my friends from 
Texas, they say, ``Gosh, it must be hard to be the President.'' I say, 
``Well, not really, if you've got a good

[[Page 1168]]

team.'' And I've put together a great team. You all are a part of that 
team.
    Today some of the generals of the team are here, people such as Tom 
Ridge, who is adviser to Homeland Security. He's done a great job. He 
left being the Governor of the great State of Pennsylvania to come and 
serve the Nation, and I want to thank you, Tom, for your dedication to 
the country.
    Some of my Cabinet members are here. The Secretary of State of the 
United States of America, Colin Powell; our great Attorney General, John 
Ashcroft, is here. The Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, is here. 
Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta; the Energy Secretary, Spence 
Abraham, is here. Thank you for being here, Spence. Christie Todd 
Whitman, who runs the EPA, is with us today. Thank you, Christie Todd.
    The prettiest person in our administration--[laughter]--of FEMA, Joe 
Allbaugh; I want to thank Kay James, who's the Director of Office of 
Personnel Management, for coming. I appreciate you being here, Kay. I 
know Stephen Perry of the GSA is here. I see Brian Stafford, who's 
running the Secret Service. I see the head of the Coast Guard; I see 
Magaw, John Magaw. Thank you all for coming. I appreciate you all being 
here.
    And I want to thank the Members of Congress who are here. I 
appreciate you working with us. I appreciate you're here to celebrate 
the dedication of the fine people that we're fortunate enough to have 
working in our Government.
    You know, the threats we face are real. I mean, it is real. I like 
to remind people that I'm an early morning guy. I get to the Oval Office 
about--oh, generally about 6:50 or so. It's not a very long commute. 
[Laughter] And I sit at the great desk that other Presidents have used--
Teddy and Frank, and--I can call them that, since--[laughter]. And Spot 
the dog comes in with me, and I read a threat assessment. The fact that 
the enemy is still interested in hurting America, I read that every 
morning. And I take it seriously, and I know you do as well.
    This is a threat that not only affects America; it affects anybody 
who loves freedom, anybody who's willing to stand up and say, ``We value 
freedom. We value the freedom for people to worship the way they want to 
or speak their mind or to print an article the way they want to print 
it.'' And the people who stand up for freedom, they're going to be 
threatened by these killers.
    And it's time for us to continue to act decisively and to be patient 
and to be resolute. It means all the parts of our Government must 
continue to cooperate. And you all have done that, and I want to thank 
you for the level of cooperation that has taken place in a fragmented 
Government. It's a--and we're making progress; we really are.
    First, we're hunting down the killers wherever they try to hide, and 
we're bringing them to justice. Sometimes you'll read about it in your 
newspapers or see it on the--you know, on all these TV shows, and 
sometimes you won't. But what is for certain is, we've got a great 
military who are doing everything they can to hunt the killers down, one 
person at a time, and bring them to justice. And that's exactly what 
this Government will continue to do.
    These are shadowy killers, and we're treating them just as they 
are--as international crooks, international criminals. And they'll--you 
know, these are the kind of folks that will slip into a city and try to 
hide, or they'll go to a cave. And then they'll send some youngster to 
his death, and they, themselves, of course, won't choose that route, for 
some reason. They don't want to show up, because they know, if they show 
up, we'll get them. And it's just a matter of time. It's just a matter 
of time. They made a mistake; they attacked a great nation. And this 
Nation will do whatever it takes to defend freedom and to bring people 
to justice.
    We're making progress overseas; we're making progress at home. We 
strengthened our aviation security, and we're tightening our borders. 
We're stockpiling medicines to defend against bioterrorism. We're 
improving information-sharing amongst our intelligence agencies. We're 
taking new steps to protect critical infrastructure. But the important 
thing for the American people to know is that our public servants are 
working longer hours and working harder and working smarter to defend 
the American people.
    We will win the war on terror--no doubt in my mind--thanks to the 
heroism of our

[[Page 1169]]

fighting troops and thanks to the patriotism of our people and thanks to 
the hard work of Government officials here at home. There have been some 
extraordinary stories about some in your ranks--many in your ranks. And 
I want to share some of the stories with you so the American people 
fully understand the dedication of the people throughout our Government.
    Tom Armas is a special agent in the Secret Service. On September the 
11th, after helping to evacuate the agency's New York field office at 
Seven World Trade Center, he proceeded into the damaged North Tower and 
up the stairwell to the 40th floor, where he worked to help the 
seriously wounded. After being turned back by raging fire, he continued 
his efforts in the North Tower lobby and then on the street. Eventually, 
Tom was forced to evacuate the area because of thick smoke and, of 
course, falling debris. Yet, even while leaving, he continued to help 
others. In the midst of chaos, he was a calm and steady soldier, at one 
point carrying a woman to the safety of a nearby emergency vehicle.
    You see, this is the meaning of public service, as you all have 
shown the American people, a willingness to go the limit, and then some 
more, for the sake of your fellow citizens. Tom, thank you very much for 
your service to the country.
    David Hart has been a FEMA individual assistance reservist for many 
years. He had a variety of responsibilities related to September the 
11th in New York, including making sure that victims received assistance 
quickly, make sure that there was staffing at the assistance centers and 
that there was proper training for people who were willing to help. 
Throughout this emergency, David was responsible for monitoring the 
individual assistance programs. He worked with the contract inspectors 
and others and was a troubleshooter for a wide variety of problems. He 
performed with great skill and boundless determination. He showed 
compassion to people in need. He put the best face on our Government for 
people who suffered. And David, we appreciate your service to America as 
well.
    We serve our citizens in all kinds of ways, in different methods. 
Take, for example, the story of Chantice James. It's a really 
interesting story, because she is one of the first U.S. Customs 
inspectors ever to work abroad for the sole purpose of protecting 
America and other countries from weapons of mass destruction--weapons of 
mass destruction that could be concealed in cargo.
    We take these threats very seriously. We worry about weapons of mass 
destruction. And so we've asked Chantice James to leave her family to 
move to Vancouver, Canada, where she's been for the past 5 months. She 
and her Canadian counterparts are reviewing all shipments ultimately 
destined for the United States that comes through that port. She has 
assisted in training additional U.S. Customs inspectors, sharing her 
skill and talent and knowledge, who are now deployed in Halifax and 
Montreal. She's developing techniques that will be used around the 
world. She's using her time and talent and efforts to help us assure the 
American people that we're doing everything we can to protect the 
homeland, and Chantice, thank you for your service as well.
    These are just some of the examples of the extraordinary service 
that's taking place. You probably have got your own stories to tell. 
You've got examples of people, perhaps yourself, who have taken an extra 
step on behalf of the American people, and I want to thank you for that, 
and so do the American people. You see, we're all part of the war on 
terror, and that's what's important to understand, a new kind of war.
    This is an historic campaign. It's a little different, but it does 
point up the fact that public service in America today is not just 
another job. It is an important act of citizenship. It is a way to 
fulfill our obligation to those who have gone before us, to those who 
will follow us, and to those who have sacrificed and died for us. That's 
how I view your job and my job.
    We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those public servants who, I like 
to say, quietly stand guard on the ramparts of freedom. We owe something 
else as well. We owe all of you a concerted effort to do what it takes 
to make your efforts more effective. And that's why I proposed the 
Department of Homeland Security.

[[Page 1170]]

    At present, there are over 100 different Federal agencies with a 
role in what we call homeland security. And that means, despite 
everybody's best intentions and hard work and sacrifice, there is a 
dispersal of authority, a lack of accountability, and the truth of the 
matter is, a needless drain on critical resources. There's, to put it 
bluntly, an overlap of administration, a duplication of administration.
    And Congress--and so that's why I did what I did. And I understand 
it's hard to make changes in Washington, DC. I understand that people 
kind of get set in their ways and want to guard turf, and I know that. 
But there is an overriding and urgent mission here in America today, and 
that's to protect our homeland. We have been called into action, and 
we've got to act.
    The Department of Homeland Security will foster a new culture in the 
Nation's Capital, and it will be a culture of cooperation. Sure, there's 
cooperation now. But when you've got 100 agencies dispersed throughout 
Washington, we can do a better job of cooperation. By uniting essential 
agencies that will work closely together, it will give new tools to meet 
new challenges. It will help set priority. Listen, all of you are in 
agencies that have got more than one priority, but the single most 
important priority is to protect the homeland now in America. We're at 
war.
    We're in a different kind of war than we're used to. There'll be 
moments where it seems like we're not at war, but we're at war until we 
win. And therefore, we must do everything we can to funnel resources and 
to set priorities to protect the American people. It is by far our most 
important challenge.
    The Department of Homeland Security will be charged with four 
primary tasks: to control our borders and prevent terrorists and weapons 
from entering the country--listen, we need to know who's coming in, and 
why they're coming in, and if they're leaving, when they're supposed to 
be leaving. And if they're not leaving, we need to know why they're not 
leaving.
    We need to work with State and local authorities to respond quickly 
and effectively to emergencies, and that's important. All levels of 
government must work together.
    We'll bring our best scientists and develop technologies to detect 
biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, and to develop the drugs and 
treatments necessary to protect our citizens. This is an historic 
opportunity, not only to deal with the immediate but to leave a legacy 
of better medicines and better cures on behalf of the American people.
    And finally, for the first time, this new Department will merge 
under one roof the capability to identify and assess threats to the 
homeland, to map those threats against our vulnerabilities, and to do 
what's necessary to secure America.
    Congress is reacting positively to the initiative, and I want to 
thank the Members of Congress. See, this isn't a Republican idea; this 
isn't a Democrat idea; this is an American idea that makes sense for all 
Americans.
    I understand the challenges that we face. I accept the challenges. 
I'm not going to let it stop us, and neither should you. This is the 
most significant reorganization since 1947--of Government--when 
President Harry Truman decided to reorganize the Defense Department.
    Congress, as they work with us, must give us the flexibility 
necessary to achieve our objectives. I call it freedom to manage. The 
new Department must be able to get the right people in the right place 
at the right time with the right pay. We need to be able to reward 
excellence and ensure accountability for individual performance. A lot 
will be expected of us, and I expect Congress to give the executive 
branch the--give us the flexibility necessary to achieve our objectives.
    I'm here to let you know that there's no question in my mind we can 
achieve what we need to achieve, particularly when we work together. I 
want you to think about the Department of Homeland Security in this 
sense. Twenty years from now, if we're still standing--individually, 
that is--you can look back and say, ``I was part of not only winning the 
war on terror, but I was part of working together to leave behind a 
legacy, a legacy of a more secure homeland so a future President or a 
future Congress or a future agency head can better address the true 
threats of the 21st century that will face our children and our 
children's children.'' That's really what we're talking about today.

[[Page 1171]]

    This is an historic moment, a fantastic opportunity. History has 
called us into action. History has put the spotlight on America. History 
has--people are saying, ``What is this country all about?'' Well, I'll 
tell you what we're about. We're going to do what's necessary to say--to 
do our most important job. We are can-do people. We see a problem; this 
is a country that works to solve it. And that's what's going to happen, 
thanks to your hard work and dedication.
    And I'll tell you what else is going to happen. We're going to win 
the war on terror, no matter how long it takes. It is a--first of all, 
we do what we do because there's others coming up in our society. The 
dedication and sacrifice you all make is because you understand that 
you're working for other people, particularly young--youngsters, 
youngsters who want to enjoy the same life we have in America, a life of 
freedom, a life--a chance to realize your dreams. And we're doing what 
we're doing because you all understand that a full life is one that 
serves something greater than yourself. Otherwise, you wouldn't have 
signed on for Government service in the first place.
    I believe the culture in the country is changing. Oh, I know there's 
a lot of folks that worry only about themselves and their balance sheets 
and how well they're doing. But I do believe that, as a result of the 
evil done to America, a lot of Americans are stepping back and taking a 
hard look at what's important in life.
    They remember the example of Flight 93, average Americans flying 
across the country. They learned their plane would become a weapon. They 
told their loved ones they loved them and goodbye. They said a prayer, 
and they drove the plane in the ground, the ultimate symbol of serving 
something greater than yourself, the ultimate act of sacrifice, to serve 
somebody and something, a cause greater than themselves.
    And that's what we're here talking about today--good, honorable, 
honest Americans working hard to serve something greater than yourself. 
And that something is the greatest country on the face of the Earth.
    Thank you for your sacrifice. God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:28 a.m. at DAR Constitution Hall. In his 
remarks, he referred to Chung K. Marston, research biologist, Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention, who introduced the President.