For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 3, 2005
President Thanks DHS Secretary Chertoff at Swearing-In Ceremony
Ronald Reagan Building
Washington, D.C.
9:25 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: I'm pleased to be here at the Department of Homeland
Security with our new Secretary, Michael Chertoff. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.) 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. (Applause.)
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
voluntary 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
In the last two 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 power plants 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 four 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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 Osama 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. (Applause.)
Bin Laden's message is a telling reminder that al Qaeda 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 Qaeda 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.
(Applause.)
MR. CHERTOFF: Thank you. Mr. President, members of my family,
friends and colleagues. Mr. President, I am grateful to you for
affording me the privilege of working under your leadership to protect
and safeguard our nation. As you have so powerfully described, since
September 11th, the job of defending the homeland has become the
challenge and the calling of our generation. Under your steadfast and
determined guidance, our country has risen to meet the threat of the
age of terror. We have responded in a unified, strategic and
comprehensive manner, and as a result, America today is safer, stronger
and more secure.
Thousands of men and women, including many here, now stand watch
across this country and overseas guarding our families and our
freedoms. In taking the oath as Homeland Security Secretary, I am
honored to join these dedicated public servants. Ours is a Department
in which the American public is deeply invested. Just in the past few
weeks, I have encountered many citizens who have personally expressed
to me their gratitude, their hopes and their prayers for the work of
DHS. These citizens -- indeed, all Americans -- have placed their trust
in the men and women who carry out the important work of homeland
security. I look forward to carrying out this vital charge as we
strengthen the protections already in place at our ports of entries, in
our skies overhead, and in our cities and our communities.
My predecessor, Secretary Tom Ridge, his Deputy, Jim Loy, and other
founding leaders of DHS did a superb job in launching this new
Department. In building on their achievements, I am conscious that my
new leadership team and I will be standing on their shoulders and
building on what they accomplished.
Our task now is to advance the exceptional achievements of the
first two years of this department, to meet and manage the threats of
today, and to prepare to confront the risks of the future. Our mission
is no less than this: protect America, while fostering the values of
liberty, privacy and opportunity we all hold dear.
For their willingness to stand beside me in this endeavor, I thank
Meryl and my children. Once again, you have given me your love, your
sacrifices and your constant support. And as all members of this
department know, the work we do is possible only because of the support
and sacrifices of our families and friends. (Applause.)
I first embarked on public service over 20 years ago as an
assistant United States attorney in Manhattan. Now as Secretary of
Homeland Security, I have taken the oath of office for the fifth time.
As with each prior time I have sworn the oath, I dedicate myself to
serving America and the American people.
Mr. President, again, thank you for this opportunity and for your
resolute commitment to the cause of freedom and the protection of our
families and our way of life. I appreciate the trust you have placed in
me, and stand ready to devote my full energy and strength to the duty
we all share: the preservation of our nation and the liberties we
cherish.
Thank you. (Applause.)
END 9:46 A.M. EST
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