Tom Ridge
Tom Ridge
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Ridgeis an American politician who served as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003, and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security from 2003 to 2005. Prior to this, Ridge was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 1995 and the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001. He is a member of the Republican Party...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth26 August 1945
CityMunhall, PA
CountryUnited States of America
I am saddened that this job is even necessary. But it is necessary. So I will give it everything I have. The task is enormous.
Celebrity or unknown, our job is to act on information that others have given us,
They tell us that avoiding panic and confusion in a crisis helps them do their jobs better. So when you protect yourself, you're protecting your community, and it's one less concern that the first responders have at the time of an incident,
I just met a fireman who was trying to save somebody else's house when his went up in flames, ... In the operations center, there are a couple of people on duty today -- 12-hour shifts. They lost their homes, but they know they still have a job to do, and maybe their presence will help save somebody else's homes.
Ohioans know who cut their taxes. Nobody else on the ballot did. Ohioans know who is responsible for job growth, and nobody else on the ballot was.
The programs supported by the International Affairs Budget are as essential to our national security as defense programs. Development and diplomacy protect our nation by addressing the root causes of terrorism and conflict. But it's not just about security. By building new markets overseas for American products, the International Affairs Budget creates jobs and boosts the economy here at home.
Effective firefighters in every community are critical to America's homeland security, ... We want to help the fire service to move quickly to develop and acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and equipment to respond to all emergencies, large and small.
The airlines and aviation today are far better prepared,
I'm not sure we're ever going to be able to say that because we raised it from Yellow to Orange or because we modified, changed or enhanced security at this facility, at this bridge, at this tunnel, that it deterred a terrorist from acting,
I'm not trying to condone the sloppiness or inaccuracy of the work that was done, ... We saw that ourselves.
I'm honored to join the extraordinary team you've assembled to lead America. The size and scope of this challenge are immense ... an extraordinary mission. But we will carry it out.
It needs to be discussed, and we will continue to discuss it,
It's a national effort grounded in the knowledge that states and local agencies play the primary role in emergency response.
The intelligence that we've received over the past several weeks is ... a series of general non-specific threats against the United States.