RECOGNIZING THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
(House of Representatives - April 09, 2008)

Mr. CARNEY . Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we are here today to recognize the fifth anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security. This is an opportunity for us to praise the tireless employees who, day in and day out, are working hard to prevent another terrorist attack on our soil, in our skies, and on our waters, and to also ensure that we're prepared should a catastrophe strike again.

Congress is often critical of DHS, and we have had some harsh hearings in the Homeland Security Committee. But our criticism of the management at DHS is only because we hope to ensure the department's employees have the resources they need to do their jobs and to keep America safe. The department is still in its formative years and still experiencing expected growing pains.

When DHS was established, it was the largest reorganization of the Federal Government since the creation of the Department of Defense 60 years ago, with 180,000 employees and 22 agencies that merged to form one new department. That number has grown by nearly 30,000 since then.

Let's take a moment to honor DHS in its 5-year anniversary but also to recognize these employees for their dedicated service.

To the Customs and Border Patrol officers and the Border Patrol agents protecting our borders, at our ports of entry and in between; and to our Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ensuring that criminal aliens are accounted for and removed; and to our Transportation Security officers, protecting millions of passengers daily and quickly adapting to threats to prevent future hijackings or worse; and to our Federal Air Marshals, quietly protecting our skies; and to our Secret Service, called upon earlier than ever to protect presidential candidates; and to the men and women of the Coast Guard, protecting 360 ports and over 90,000 miles of coastline, ready to respond at a moment's notice; and to the first responders of FEMA, who have again proven themselves in their response to the California wildfires and the recent Midwest tornadoes. Thank you. We know all too well the long hours you've committed to our country and the time away from your homes and families. We sincerely appreciate all of your work and your service...

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might consume.

I would like to talk about what the department does for a few moments. It is imperative that we honor and recognize the fact that the Department of Homeland Security and all its components provides the awareness for our Nation to prevent threats and identify our vulnerabilities. It prevents threats through detection and deterrence, and it mitigates those accidents and those attacks that might happen. It protects people and/or critical infrastructure and, of course, the economy. It responds to terrorism. It responds to natural disasters and certainly any other emergencies. It provides us the opportunity and the ability to recover from terrorism and from natural disasters. And it serves the public by facilitating lawful trade, lawful travel and lawful immigration.
It is committed to organizational excellence, and through that organizational excellence, we are all protected.