Good Morning!
Dr. Satcher, thank you for that kind introduction, and thank you for your willingness to serve as our acting Secretary, protecting the nation's health and safety. I also thank you for the great service you have given this country as its Surgeon General.
I am thrilled that a leading advocate for women's health issues - and my wife, Sue Ann is here with me this morning.
And, I thank you all so much for being here. I send out a special welcome to those of you who are watching from around the country via satellite or on the web.
I also understand that we have some students who are here today from Eastern High School - for Shadow Day -- shadowing employees in different divisions. Can you all stand up? Welcome. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one here today learning about HHS.
Are you all as excited as I am this morning?
Now, I know that some of you have heard new secretaries come before you - maybe even on this very stage - and give remarks about how they planned to lead this Department. You might be thinking you have heard this all before - just another rah-rah session designed to make me feel better. But that is not the case.
I am so excited to be here, and while we face incredible challenges, I truly believe that we are at the beginning of a great adventure. President Bush is bringing a new spirit to Washington and I am honored to be a part of it.
I'm still having a hard time believing that I'm standing here. I'm just a small-town boy from Elroy, Wisconsin. But when I first traveled from Elroy to Madison, and even more so today coming from Madison to Washington - I am full of optimism, idealism and hope-qualities given to me by my hometown and my home state. The people of Elroy raised me. Taught me my values. And instilled in me the importance of putting people first. That's why I'm here, and I'm sure it's why you are here too.
Now, I want you to know that I know - you are the most dedicated, hard-working public servants in the country. Our mission in this Department means that your work touches the lives of every American - from birth through the golden years. You are the frontline -- protecting the public health, the safety and well being of our citizens.
I have dedicated 35 years of my life to public service, the last 14 years as governor of my great state of Wisconsin. Now I am sure that some of you are aware of my record in Wisconsin. It has probably not escaped your attention that I have spent the last 14 years persuading many of you in this Department to let me try to do things just a little bit differently in Wisconsin.
We stretched the rules in Wisconsin, but we did because we wanted to put people first. And I think we've had some pretty incredible successes. We have developed programs in Wisconsin that have become national models - Wisconsin Works, or W-2, BadgerCare, FamilyCare, and now our Pathways to Independence Program.
People have always tried to tell me that you can't do things. There are those who are always trying to protect the status quo. I know that you don't believe that or you wouldn't be here. And I wouldn't be here if I believed that either.
But given my history, some of you are probably wondering just what it is I'm doing here now. Well, I'll tell you. I'm here to persuade you to do things just a little differently on the national level. I believe so passionately that the issues faced by this Department are among the most important facing us as a nation. And I believe that we need to find innovative, creative ways to face these challenges. We need to reach out to states and local governments. We need to look at successful models and best practices from all over this country. Because there are no "one-size-fits-all" solutions to the challenges we face.
I took this job because there is no other job in America where you have a greater opportunity to help people. To actually make a difference in people's lives. Improve the quality of life they lead. If I didn't truly believe that we can do that together, I would not be standing here today.
President Bush has outlined an aggressive agenda for this nation, and we will be at the forefront of it here at the Department of Health and Human Services.
We will modernize Medicare so it is responsive, effective, and financially sound for today's seniors and for tomorrow's. And, as part of that effort, we must find a way to provide seniors and the disabled affordable access to prescription drugs.
We will reach out to Congress and in the next few weeks, sit down and craft a Patient's Bill of Rights.
We will aggressively act to provide access to affordable health insurance for the more than 43 million Americans who are uninsured.
We have already worked together to reform welfare in this country. Now we must move to the next step in that process -- to make sure that those who go to work have the opportunity to continue to move up the ladder of economic success.
We take action immediately on President Bush's directive to establish and office of Faith-Based and community initiatives.
We will focus improving the foster care and adoption programs around the country to make sure that every child has the opportunity to succeed.
We will take a leadership role in this country and around the world in improving women's health.
Together we will continue and enhance the groundbreaking research being done at the National Institutes of Health. And we will search for ways to apply that research, to improve the health of this nation, and the world.
We will continue to vigilantly protect the safety of our nation's food and drug supply.
And finally, there is an issue that is very close to my heart. We will move in the first 100 days to launch a national campaign to raise awareness of organ donation in this country. There is a waiting list of at least 70,000 individuals in America that need an organ. And what we need to do, instead of taking from one to another, is do grow the number of donors.
I took upon myself, when I became governor, to try and articulate a vision for more individuals to be recognized, and to be involved in giving organs. And I intend to do that as Secretary as well.
With your help, I intend to see that we fulfill that agenda - and in the process we will make life brighter for millions of Americans - to make sure that every American has the opportunity to experience the American Dream.
Together I believe that we can accomplish all of this and more. I stand here today to ask for your help as we rise to meet the challenges and adversities that lie ahead. This will not be an easy road to travel-but the rewards are far greater than any of us in this room can imagine. I'll just close with this thought. In 1894, Oliver Wendell Holmes said: "I find the great thing about this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
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