FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
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The White House - Office of the Press Secretary
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Remarks by the President on Signing Homeland Security Appropriations Act |
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Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C.
FY 2004 Budget Fact Sheet
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for the warm welcome. Please be seated -- unless you
don't have a seat. (Laughter.) I'm proud to be with the men and women of the
newest agency of our government. And today I'm honored to sign the first
appropriations bill for this department.
Many of you have served your country for years, in agencies with proud
histories and honored traditions. Some of you are new to the federal service.
All of us share a great responsibility. Our job is to secure the American
homeland, to protect the American people. And we're meeting that duty together.
On September the 11th, 2001, enemies of freedom made our country a
battleground. Their method is the mass murder of the innocent, and their goal is
to make all Americans live in fear. Yet our nation refuses to live in fear. And
the best way to overcome fear and to frustrate the plans of our enemies is to be
prepared and resolute at home, and to take the offensive abroad.
The danger to America gives all of you an essential role in the war on
terror. You've done fine work under difficult and urgent circumstances, and on
behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you all for what you do for the security
and safety of our fellow citizens.
I appreciate Tom Ridge agreeing to lead this important department. I'm
honored to call him friend, and I'm proud of the job he is doing. I appreciate
General John Gordon, who is the Homeland Security Advisor in the White House. I
want to thank the very capable Department of Homeland Security leadership who
are with us today.
I'm also honored to share this bill signing with members of the United States
Senate and the United States House of Representative who did an excellent job of
getting this bill through. I appreciate so very much the Senator from
Mississippi, Thad Cochran, the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Homeland Security. I'm also honored that three members of the
House are up here to join in the bill signing ceremony, starting with the
Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Bill Young of Florida; Hal
Rogers of Kentucky, the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Homeland Security; Congressman Martin Sabo from Minnesota, the ranking member of
the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. I want to thank you
all for a job well-done. (Applause.)
I'm also so pleased that members in the Senate and the House of both
political parties are with us today. The stage wasn't big enough to hold you.
Thank you for coming. Thanks for your hard work, and thanks for working together
to do what's right for America.
This time two years ago, America was still in the midst of a national
emergency. Smoke was rising from Ground Zero; recovery teams were carefully
sifting through debris; and chaplains were comforting families and blessing the
dead. Our nation does not live in the past; yet we do not forget the past and
the grief of that time. We do not forget the men and women and children who were
lost that day. We do not forget the enemies who rejoiced as America suffered, or
those who seek to inflict more pain and grief on our country.
On September the 11th, America accepted a great mission, and that mission
continues to this hour. We will do everything in our power to prevent another
attack on the American people. And wherever America's enemies plot and plan,
we'll find them, and we will bring them to justice. (Applause.)
The war on terror has set urgent priorities for America abroad. We are not
waiting while dangers gather. Along with fine allies, we are waging a global
campaign against terrorist networks -- disrupting their operations, cutting off
their funding, and we are hunting down their leaders one-by-one. We are
enforcing a clear doctrine: If you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a terrorist,
if you support a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the terrorists, and you can
expect to share their fate.
We're determined to prevent terror networks from gaining weapons of mass
destruction. We're committed to spreading democracy and tolerance. As we hunt
down the terrorists, we're committed to spending -- spreading freedom in all
parts of the world, including the Middle East. By removing the tyrants in Iraq
and Afghanistan who supported terror and by ending the hopelessness that feeds
terror, we're helping the people of that regime, and we're strengthening the
security of America.
The war on terror has also set urgent priorities here at home. Oceans no
longer protect us from danger. And we're taking unprecedented measures to
prevent terrorist attacks, reduce our vulnerabilities and to prepare for any
emergency. That's what you're doing.
Each of you plays a vital role in this strategy to better secure America.
Agencies that once worked separately to safeguard our country are now working
together in a single department, and that's good for America. You've the
authority to quickly put the right people in place as we respond to danger.
You've got good leadership. Every member of this department has an important
calling, and you need to know, when you come to work every day, your fellow
citizens are counting on you.
Those in Customs and Immigration are performing essential work in controlling
our borders, and at the same time, in reducing the backlog of immigrant
applicants as we move toward a standard of six-month processing time for all
applications.
At the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, you
protect the vast road, rail and sea and air networks that are critical to the
American economy. DHS scientists and engineers work to detect deadly chemical,
biological and nuclear weapons. DHS experts help the public and private sectors
to identify and address vulnerabilities in our power grids, chemical plants,
communications systems and transportation networks. At FEMA, you joined forces
with state and local authorities to respond quickly and effectively to any
emergency.
All of you have been given a hard job, and you're rising to the challenge.
The American people understand the importance of your work, and so does the
United States Congress. The Homeland Security bill I will sign today commits $31
billion to securing our nation, over $14 billion more than pre-September 11th
levels. The bill increases funding for the key responsibilities at the
Department of Homeland Security and supports important new initiatives across
the Department.
We're providing $5.6 billion over the next decade to fund Project BioShield.
Under this program, DHS will work with the Department of Health and Human
Services to accelerate the development and procurement of advanced vaccines and
treatments to protect Americans against biological, or chemical, or radiological
threats.
We're providing $4 billion in grants for our nation's first responders. We're
focusing $725 million on major urban areas where it is most needed. We're also
providing $40 million for Citizen Corps Councils through which volunteers work
with first responders to prepare their communities for emergencies. We're
ensuring that America's firefighters and police officers and emergency medical
personnel have the best possible training and equipment and help they need to do
their job.
We're better securing our borders and transportation systems while
facilitating the flow of legitimate commerce. Our Container Security Initiative
will allow for the screening of high-risk cargo at the world's largest ports and
intercept dangerous materials before they reach our shores; supporting the
efforts to strengthen our air cargo security system for passenger aircraft; to
expand research on cargo screening technologies.
We're making sure the Coast Guard has the resources to deploy additional
maritime safety and security teams, and patrol boats, and sea marshals to
protect our ports and waterways.
More than $900 million in this bill will go to science and technology
projects, including a major effort to anticipate and counter the use of
biological weapons. With more than $800 million, we will assess the
vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructures, we'll take action to protect
them.
We're doing a lot here. And we're expecting a lot of you. When the terrorist
enemies came into our country and took thousands of innocent lives, we made a
decision in this country: We will not wait for enemies to strike again. We'll
take action to stop them. We're not going to stand by while terrorists and their
state sponsors plot, plan and grow in strength. By the actions that we continue
to take abroad, we are going to remove grave threats to America and the world.
History has given us that charge, and that is a charge we will keep. (Applause.)
We have been charged to protect our homeland, as well. And that's why we're
taking actions to strengthen our defenses and to make our nation more secure.
This bill is a major step forward in our ongoing effort, and I'm pleased to sign
into law the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2004.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
END 2:20 P.M. EDT
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