Homeland Security Tom Ridge resignation Transcript

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge

Transcript of Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge at Press Conference For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary Contact 202-282-8010 Washington, D.C. November 30, 2004 Secretary Ridge: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Earlier today, I submitted a formal letter of resignation to the President,

and with his concurrence it is my desire to continue to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security through February 1st of next year unless my successor is confirmed by the Senate earlier. It was, obviously, a very difficult decision, but a decision that I was pleased to be able to communicate in a personal way with my leadership team earlier today as well. We have 40 or 50 of the most incredible Americans who have been an integral part of the leadership team of this Department from all walks of life that are on a two-day, off-site session as we look at some budget matters and we do some strategic planning for the next five years, and I was also able to communicate by e-mail to the 180,000 men and women with whom I've been privileged to work for nearly two years.

I think we have accomplished a great deal in a short period of time. As I've said to the President, there will always be more work for us to do in Homeland Security, but if you take a look at many of the innovations, the improvements to security, the enhancements to safety at ports of entry, the partnerships that we've developed with the state and locals and the private sector, just all in all, I think it's a reflection of the commitment and the dedication and the energy and the professionalism, really the combined power of about 180,000 people strong.

I know I've said to many of my co-workers, not only in Washington but around the country during my tenure as their Secretary, that on a day-to-day basis one could say that individual decisions that these men and women make out there at Ports of Entry have as much to do with the security of the country as any individual decisions we might make here at headquarters. As I've said to you many times before, we have to be right a billion-plus times a year, meaning we have to make literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of decisions every year, or every day, and the terrorists only have to be right once.

The President has given me an extraordinary opportunity to serve my country in this incredible period since September 11th, 2001. I will always be grateful for his call to service. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to serve my country with this President as its leader.

Thank you. Homeland Security

Tom Ridge resignation FULL TEXT Transcript and press conference

Related Information

Secretary Ridge's Letter of Resignation to President Bush (PDF, 1 page - 458 KB)

Tommy G. Thompson World AIDS Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343

Statement by Tommy G. Thompson Secretary of Health and Human Services Regarding World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004

World AIDS Day is an important opportunity to remember those lost to AIDS. Just as importantly, it is an opportunity to raise awareness of the global epidemic and efforts to halt the spread of this terrible disease.

HIV/AIDS continues to be a growing threat to world health. An estimated 39 million people are infected with HIV. About 3 million men and women died of AIDS in 2003 and there were close to 5 million new infections worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that up to 950,000 Americans are living with HIV, with 40,000 new infections every year.

This Administration has made unprecedented commitments to the fight and we remain unwavering in our efforts to stop this epidemic here and across the globe. This year, President Bush has committed $2.4 billion to his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which expects to support treatment for 2 million HIV-infected people and prevent 7 million new infections. The Emergency Plan provides services to over 100 countries around the world, including 15 focus nations in Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. In addition, the President has supported reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides support to those most in need, and made another $20 million available to deliver much-needed medication to HIV-positive persons. Finally, the President has requested $17.1 billion to help fight the epidemic in the United States for FY 2005 -- a 27 percent increase since 2001 -- and another $2.8 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

This year's commemoration has a special focus on the increasingly alarming impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. For the first time, women and girls compose almost half of the people with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, 57 percent of people living with AIDS are female. In the United States, women accounted for 26 percent of all AIDS cases in 2002, up from 6 percent in 1985. Minority women are disproportionately impacted, comprising 80 percent of American women living with AIDS.

In communities across this country, there are vibrant examples of HHS-supported programs targeted at women that are making a difference. The Children's Hospital in New Orleans, with support from HHS, provides confidential, culturally competent, family-centered care -- including transportation and child care -- for more than a thousand women living with HIV. The Well Being Institute in Detroit serves HIV-infected women, mostly African American, who have sought care for this disease but have been unable to consistently follow through with their own care. In addition, the University of Miami School of Medicine is implementing the Caring Connections Intervention targeted to sero-positive women and children, helping them take their medicines and get to their doctors' appointments.

Over the past year, we have taken important steps to encourage HIV testing. Getting tested for HIV shows your loved ones you care about them and it's an important personal contribution to the fight against this devastating disease. That is a theme we are aggressively promoting through new public service advertisements developed in partnership with the Ad Council. The two new television target African American men between the ages of 13 and 28 and communicates that knowing their HIV status is the first step in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. I call on local television stations to help us combat the scourge of HIV by airing these advertisements and educating their communities.

These efforts and others are reaching across the globe to prevent the spread of HIV, find a vaccine, provide treatment to those affected, encourage HIV testing among at-risk individuals so they can know their status and seek assistance if necessary, and care for orphans and other left behind after AIDS has struck.

For more information, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS or visit the Federal National HIV/AIDS Observance Days Web site at www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances.

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