For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 1, 2003
President Bush Signs Homeland Security Appropriations Bill
Remarks by the President on Signing Homeland Security Appropriations Act
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C.
FY 2004 Budget Fact Sheet
2:07 P.M. EDT
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.
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DHS Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson took your questions on Ask the White House. Read the transcript.
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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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