SECRETARY JOHNSON: Good afternoon. I am privileged to be here standing
between two great Americans, two of my predecessors as
Secretary of Homeland Security. I guess in this group,
I am known as number four.
Number three, Secretary Janet Napolitano could not be here.
She is in California. She has issued a statement in conjunction with this event,
which those of you in the press should have.
I also want to acknowledge the presence of two other great Americans.
Judge William Webster, former director of the CIA and the FBI, who is the
chairman of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, with us here today.
Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
and former Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute.
I am pleased everyone could be here. I am particularly pleased to be here with
Secretaries Ridge and Chertoff
to, with them, stress the importance of reaching agreement in Congress
so that we have a fully funded Department of Homeland Security in fiscal year 2015.
As I have said repeatedly now, for weeks, today, on Capitol Hill, meeting with
Republicans and Democrats, and with the press and the public, in these
challenging times, it is critical that the Department of Homeland Security
receive a full year appropriation. There are concrete dramatic consequences for the
homeland security of this nation if we allow the funding of the Department to
lapse. There are consequences if we have to exist on a continued CR,
another continuing resolution past Friday night. There are huge drawbacks to that,
which I have talked about repeatedly, over the last several weeks. So, we need,
on behalf of the American public, a fully funded Department of Homeland Security.
Now I want to turn it over to my predecessor number one,
Secretary Tom Ridge. Thank you for being here today.
SECRETARY RIDGE: First of all, let me say, Mr. Secretary, I am grateful
that you gave me an opportunity to participate in this press conference.
Because I think your goal is one that I am proud to say, and as you indicated, all
four Secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security embrace.
Let me say at the outset ladies and gentlemen, that I personally believe, as a
former member of the Congress of the United States
that the President has gravely overstepped his constitutional authority.
That is my strong opinion. And I do think that from a political of view and a
legislative point of view, there's opposition - the Republican party has
has every right to challenge that. But I don't think we right
that wrong on the backs of the patriots that go to work every day to provide
safety and security at the Department of Homeland Security.
They may not like what has transpired but the solution that they seek
in my judgement is unfortunate. From a policy point of view
it's wrong; it's folly. I would say that we would no more
ask the men and women in harm's way in Afghanistan or the three thousand boots
on the ground combating ISIL to go out to provide safety and security
in the interest of national security, without pay.
I think it is a very appropriate analogy. There are many people in many
departments and organizations in this government that have a
responsibility for our safety and our security. Whether you work at ICE,
customs and border protection, Secret Service, or the United States Coast Guard
they wear the uniform of public service. And we would know more think of not
funding our soldiers. But these are soldiers. They wear a different uniform.
The goal, the mission, the objective is the same. Keep America as safe and
secure as possible. I would encourage a full and complete funding for the
Department of Homeland Security, no more additional continuing resolutions.
I would also say this as someone who is proud to serve in the Congress
of the United States for 12 years. I think there are legislative ways,
not only to express your dissatisfaction with the president's Executive Order.
I would recommend strongly a concerted effort in that regard, a bill or series of
bills or a Bill, let's engage it in the right form. I think the right form is the
traditional battle you have between the Executive and the Legislative branch.
Send the President some measures that we can elevate the debate.
You don't elevate the debate and you don't send a message
by refusing to compensate the men and women who go to work every single day
in a uniform of public service, where the mission is frankly to keep us safe and
secure. By the way, that includes the members of the House and the Senate.
Mr. Secretary, I am grateful for the opportunity to share these thoughts with
you. It is my great pleasure to introduce my successor, Secretary Chertoff.
SECRETARY CHERTOFF: First of all, I am delighted to be here, both with my
predecessor and one of my successors.
And I can't imagine anything more important to talk about, than the need to
continue to fund the Department of
Homeland Security fully, as we go forward this year.
I understand, as Governor Ridge said, there are some deep concerns many people
have about the Executive Order that the President undertook with respect
to people who are in this country without authorization
That matter, as it turns out is likely to be
dealt with by the courts. What I don't think
makes sense is to hold the entire set of
operations of the Department of Homeland
Security in abeyance, as a hostage as the legislative
branch starts to play a game of chicken with the President
And I think at this particular moment given what is going on in the
world and even in this country in terms of the security challenges we
face, we cannot afford to be distracting the men and women on the
frontline of our homeland security with
concerns about whether they will get the
administrative support they need, the equipment they need
and even their salaries and their paychecks
I know there has been a little bit of discussion on the Hill about whether a
shutdown would really be that much of an impact on homeland security.
I have had the experience over the years that I have been in
government, in dealing with shutdowns.
Le me talk for a couple of moments
about the practical effect.
First, there will be some people,
about 15%, who will be sent home.
And although they may not be the people at the tip of the spear, they are
the people providing the administrative support, the managerial support,
working on acquisitions, and helping to deploy equipment.
All of which is necessary to support those people who man the frontlines.
Our ability to help state and local law enforcement with grants will be suspended.
And in many cases as we have seen, some of what we worry
about from a security standpoint occurs in the cities and towns around this country
And without the support of the United States government, local law enforcement
is going to be overstretched. The ability to prepare for and deal
with disasters and we are dealing with some rough
weather now will also be suspended while this goes on.
So for all of these reasons, having a shutdown for the Department of
Homeland Security is going to cause a lot of pain
and a lot of difficulty for American citizens as well as
for the hundreds of thousands of people who work for DHS.
So I am delighted to join with Secretary Johnson and Secretary Ridge,
bipartisan approach, in saying,
let us fund DHS. And let them do the job that's most important to all of us,
protecting America. Thanks a lot.
SECRETARY JOHNSON: Okay. We have time for a few questions.
The gentleman in the middle.
REPORTER: Hi, John Hudson. The fact that all of the former Department heads have to
and speak to the whole vulnerability of the Department right now which many still
see as an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy atop our national security state,
how do you respond to that dim and what has become kind of a lasting view of the
Department of Homeland Security overall, more broadly?
SECRETARY JOHNSON: Well, I couldn't disagree more strongly with
that characterization. First of all, you've got to remember that this
Department, which I have the privilege to lead and which these two gentlemen had
the privilege to lead, is responsible for counterterrorism
cybersecurity, border security, aviation security, maritime security, port security
protection of our national leaders protection of critical infrastructure
and responding to natural disasters
all under the rubric of homeland security. When you look at where all of those
functions existed prior to 2003, they were spread over at least 10 different
agencies or departments of the government. Many of whom did not have law enforcement
or homeland security as their as their core mission. And so they were brought
together in 2003 in the wake of 9/11. And in many ways, and Mike and Tom can
testify to this. In many ways, resembles the ministries of interior of a lot of our
foreign counterparts who have some of the same missions. Just in my 14 months
I have seen the efficiency brought about by having, in one department
at one conference table, the persons responsible for aviation security
border security, security of our seaports and so forth. And dealing with various
situations that we have had to deal with over the last year.
We have, in the department, also, a unity of effort initiative to more centralize
as the department becomes more mature. How we go about the business of budgets
acquisitions, so that we look at those things from a more strategic, centralized
point of view. I think that is necessary.
I'm sure my predecessors would agree with that.
SECRETARY CHERTOFF: I'm in total agreement with what Secretary Johnson said.
By the way, I want to applaud him for the focus he has on bringing
about greater cohesion. It does take a while to mature a Department.
Let me give you a concrete example of how the Department works and
the value it brings. Let me bring you back to August 2006. Many of you will
remember there was a plot uncovered in the United Kingdom to blow up between
10 and 12 airliners headed to North America. When that was uncovered,
we had to deal with a whole series of measures, necessary to make sure that
parts of the plot didn't actually get carried out. That required a unity of
effort with respect to aviation security border security, maritime security and
intelligence. And because we had brought those functions together at the Department
of Homeland Security, we were able to, in the course of a single day, to make sure
all of these elements of the plan were executed. If someone had had to convene
a committee of department heads, it would have been weeks. And that would have been
weeks in which airplanes were not flying and commerce was not moving.
That would have been a real disaster. With all of the fits and starts of growing
a new agency, the proof of the pudding is what we have actually seen accomplished.
SECRETARY JOHNSON: Next question. Yes sir, right here.
REPORTER: Eric Katz with Government Executive. Yesterday, at the White House
press briefing, the Press Secretary said that DHS is taking very specific steps to
prepare for the shutdown and to mitigate the impact that it would have. Can you get
into the specifics of what those steps are that you have taken? And is has any of
that involved communicating with rank and file of the workforce?
SECRETARY JOHNSON: We actually have been pretty forthcoming with the workforce.
I have sent out several e-mail messages to the entire workforce over the last couple
of weeks, updating them on the progress
including a report this Monday when I really didn't have anything new to report,
just to let the rank and file, the men and women of our Department know
what is going on. I think it is important that we when men and women of our
department are faced with the possibility of being required to come to work,
but missing a paycheck, and not knowing when and if you're going to be paid,
then we are talking about working men and women here. That is material information
for them. And they are entitled to know what the status of the negotiations in
Congress are because their paychecks are hanging in the balance.
The only other thing I will say about that is what I said this morning. We did a
press conference with the senior leaders of DHS. And Craig Fugate is very upset
about all of this. He is very much into advocating for full funding
of our Department. Craig Fugate is a national asset because of his leadership
with FEMA. I asked him "Why are you so upset about this?"
He said "Because I feel as though my people are being treated as pawns."
"As if they don't matter." I think it is important that we continually emphasize
we continually get information to our work force. We are in the midst of planning
right now for a possible shutdown. We have gone through the list of who can
be furloughed, and who has to come to work. We have begun informing people
of that, on an informal basis. Because I think they are entitled to know what is
going to happen next week in their daily lives. So we have begun that process.
I remain optimistic. I remain optimistic that Congress is going to work this out.
But we have to plan. We have to prepare.
SECRETARY RIDGE: I can't say it any better than that. I want to give you another
dimension to this whole public debate. The breadth and the depth of threat streams
and threats directed to the United States of America today in 2015, in my judgment
are far, far greater and more complex than as of September 12, 2001. That is a fact
of life. It is not just al-Qaida, in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It has metastasized into North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula.
We have all of the other terrorist organizations and the look-alikes
and the wannabes. You have ISIL.
We need to remember that this was an aggregation of people that worked in
different departments some had traditional some related to the border and some not.
On top of everything else, these people were doing before 9/11, we added another
responsibility. They take that sense of mission in their head, in their heart, to
work every single day. And I want somebody up on the Hill, as much as I disagree with
the President, to look into the eyes of the man on horseback or an ATV along the
southern border. Look into the eyes of that Coastie who is being dropped into
30-foot waves to rescue some crab fishermen outside of Alaska.
I want you to look into their eyes and say "We appreciate what you do, but we don't
appreciate it enough to fund you." It becomes very personal for the three
secretaries or the four secretaries. Because what you are saying to the good
men and women whom we have had the privilege to work with and represent,
"We care about you, but we don't care enough about you enough to fund you."
And in order to show our disagreement which may be legitimate politically with
the President of the United States, we are not going to fund you. So the tuition
payment is due. The mortgage payment is due. You just have to figure a way
around that. I think it has become almost for me, it has become very personal.
These people go to work every day trying to make us more safe and secure. On top
of that, they do a lot of other things. We need to recognize that. This is not
the way you deal with it. You think it is wrong, fine. But this is not the solution.
This is not the way you right that wrong.
SECRETARY JOHNSON: We have time for one more question. Yes sir, right here.
REPORTER: You were talking of keeping people abreast of action on the Hill.
Do you have any reaction to the news that the
Senate may actually start voting on a way forward?
I mean this afternoon, GOP Senate Majority Leader McConnell
said they will allow a vote on a clean bill.
SECRETARY JOHNSON: I'm not going to get in the middle of Hill politics.
I think we are all hoping and counting on Congress to come to agreement on a clean
appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
I remain optimistic. I hope, and I don't believe the men and women of Congress
would allow for the Department of Homeland Security to be shut down because
our funding lapses. Given, for all the reasons that Secretary Ridge laid out. And
all of the other reasons right now. That they would allow the Department of
Homeland Security to simply run out of gas and hit E.
I remain optimistic. And I believe we will come to agreement sooner or later.
I hope it is sooner rather than later, so that we can get on with the business
of homeland security. And the men and women of this Department, in this building
a lot of other buildings in Washington and all around the country and the world
can get their minds off of this and go back to the work of protecting the
American people. So thank you all very, very much. Thanks for being here.