Ridge wins unanimous approval from Senate

The Senate voted 94-0 Wednesday to confirm Tom Ridge as secretary of the new Department of Homeland Security.

Senators from both sides of the aisle effusively praised Ridge prior to the vote, while warning that he faces serious challenges in coordinating the efforts of the agencies slated to move into the new department.

"It is essential that Gov. Ridge understand that he will be responsible not only for defending the homeland, but also for defending against the abuse of power within the new department," said Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.

Ridge has been President Bush's chief adviser on homeland defense since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He takes over a department that, when it evolves, will bring 22 security-related agencies and 170,000 civil servants under one umbrella.

The department officially comes into being on this Friday, but it will not assume operational control of the agencies until March 1 and it will be months before it is fully functioning.

Among the agencies to become part of the department are the Secret Service, Coast Guard, Customs Service, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Transportation Security Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

At his confirmation hearing before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee last week, Ridge said he would hold Homeland Security agencies to strict performance targets, and work with employees to improve management of their operations.

"We will solicit advice from men and women who work in the new department … about how to improve day-to-day operations that they have been involved in for years, if not decades," he said.