November 21, 2008

Today, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on the prospective nomination of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to be Secretary of Homeland Security:

"I am pleased with President-Elect Obama’s choice of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Gov. Napolitano’s law enforcement background makes her an ideal pick for a department with such a wide array of responsibility.

"Governor Napolitano has her work cut out for her at DHS. She is inheriting a department plagued by bureaucratic inefficiency, low employee morale, and programmatic failures at a time when our nation’s enemies are on the rebound. The sooner she can be confirmed to address these problems, the safer our nation will be. Her track record in Arizona proves she has the leadership to address major problems, and I am confident in her skills.

"I look forward to working with her and her team to secure our borders, help our community first preventers and responders, protect our transportation systems, and prevent and expose terrorist plots."