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Homeland Security Department Created
On November 25, 2002, President George W. Bush consolidated 22 agencies
and about 170,000 government employees under one umbrella agency by signing the
Homeland Security Act of 2002. At the signing, President Bush nominated Tom
Ridge, currently the head of the White House Office of Homeland Security, to be
the first Secretary of Homeland Security.
"The new department will analyze threats, will guard our borders and
airports, protect our critical infrastructure, and coordinate the response of
our nation for future emergencies," said Bush. "The Department of
Homeland Security will focus the full resources of the American government on
the safety of the American people. This essential reform was carefully
considered by Congress and enacted with strong bipartisan majorities."
The creation of the cabinet-level department represents the biggest
government reorganization in over 50 years. The primary goal of the department
is to improve coordination and communication among agencies involved in
protecting the nation. Fully functional consolidation of the various agencies
under the new department is expected to take several years to complete.
Among the agencies that will now answer to the Department of Homeland
Security are the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, the
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Customs Services, the Secret Service
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
More information about the new department is available at the White House Web
site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/.
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Homeland Security Main Page
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