Remarks
by the President at the Swearing-In Ceremony of
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
Washington,
D.C.
Ronald Reagan Building
March 3, 2005
The President:
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 to
listen to your mother-in-law.
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 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.
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
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.
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 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.
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. 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.
Secretary
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.
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.
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Original Department of Justice article:
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/speech/speech_0244.xml
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