    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 9 (Monday, March 7, 2005)]
    [Pages 353-355]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    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

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    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 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

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    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 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; and senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al
    Zarqawi. He also referred to 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.