15 February 2005
Congressional Report, February 15: Senate Confirms Chertoff
Bush's nominee to become homeland security secretary
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly confirmed the nomination of Michael Chertoff to become secretary of homeland security.
By a vote of 98-0, the Senate approved President Bush's nominee February 15. Chertoff will succeed Tom Ridge, the first secretary of homeland security.
Chertoff, currently a federal appeals court judge in New Jersey, will head a department of 180,000 employees. Bush created the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States to strengthen the nation's defenses against the threat of future attacks.
Senator Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, urged the Senate to act quickly during six hours of debate on Chertoff's nomination.
Chertoff "knows what is needed to fight a war on terrorism, the importance of strategic planning and the need to constantly improve information sharing and cooperation among agencies at all levels of government," Collins said.
Collins praised Chertoff for recognizing that security is essential for protecting America's freedom, and for responding to her questions in the confirmation hearing by noting, "that we cannot live in liberty without security, but we would not want to live in security without liberty."
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Chertoff's nomination February 7 by unanimous vote.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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