George W. Bush

July 15, 2002

ight now, as many as a hundred different government agencies have some responsibilities for homeland security, and no one has final accountability. . . . Tonight, I propose a permanent Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security to unite essential agencies that must work more closely together: Among them, the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the Customs Service, Immigration officials, the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. . . .

The Department of Homeland Security will be charged with four primary tasks. This new agency will control our borders and prevent terrorists and explosives from entering our country. It will work with state and local authorities to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. It will bring together our best scientists to develop technologies that detect biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, and to discover the drugs and treatments to best protect our citizens. And this new department will review intelligence and law enforcement information from all agencies of government, and produce a single daily picture of threats against our homeland. . . .

The reason to create this department is not to create the size of government, but to increase its focus and effectiveness.

-June 8, 2002
Address to the nation.