| United States Secretary of Homeland Security |
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 Official Seal United States Department of Homeland Security |
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 Incumbent: Janet Napolitano since: January 21, 2009 |
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| First | Tom Ridge |
|---|---|
| Formation | January 24, 2003 |
| Presidential succession |
Eighteenth |
| Website | www.dhs.gov |
The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The new department consisted primarily of components transferred from other cabinet departments because of their role in homeland security, such as the Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Secret Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It did not, however, include the FBI or the CIA.[1]
On January 20, 2009, the Senate confirmed Barack Obama's appointment of Janet Napolitano to be the third Secretary of Homeland Security.[2] However, Michael Chertoff did not resign until 9 a.m. on January 21, 2009.[3]
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Inclusion in the presidential line of succession
Traditionally, the order of the presidential line of succession is determined (after the Vice President, Speaker of the House, and President pro tempore of the Senate) by the order of the creation of the cabinet positions, and is mandated as such under 3 U.S.C. § 19.
On March 9, 2006, President Bush signed H.R. 3199 as Pub.L. 109-177, which renewed the Patriot Act and amended the Presidential Succession Act to include the Secretary of Homeland Security in the line of succession after the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (§ 503). In the 109th Congress, legislation was introduced to place the Secretary of Homeland Security into the line of succession after the Attorney General but that bill expired at the end of the 109th Congress and has not been re-introduced.
List of Secretaries of Homeland Security
Prior to the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, there existed an Assistant to the President for the Office of Homeland Security, which was created following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Denotes acting Secretary of Homeland Security
| No. | Picture | Name | Term of Office | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Tom Ridge | January 24, 2003 – February 1, 2005 | George W. Bush |
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James M. Loy | February 1, 2005 – February 15, 2005 | ||
| 2 |  |
Michael Chertoff | February 15, 2005 – January 21, 2009 | |
| 3 | |
Janet Napolitano | January 21, 2009 – present | Barack Obama |
Living former secretaries of Homeland Security
As of April 2009, all former Secretaries of Homeland Security are living.
Order of succession
The order of succession for the Secretary of Homeland Security is as follows:[4]
- Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
- Under Secretary of Homeland Security for National Protection and Programs
- Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management
- Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Policy (acting as Under Secretary-equivalent)
- Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology
- General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security
- Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration)
- Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection
- Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
- Director of Citizenship and Immigration Services
- Chief Financial Officer
- Regional Administrator, Region V, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Regional Administrator, Region VI, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Regional Administrator, Region VII, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Regional Administrator, Region IX, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Regional Administrator, Region I, Federal Emergency Management Agency
References
- ^ Homeland Security Act, Pub.L. 107-296
- ^ Napolitano Confirmed - Arizona Guardian
- ^ Chertoff: Inauguration security forces 'ready' - CNN.com
- ^ "Executive Order 13442: Amending the Order of Succession in the Department of Homeland Security". http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/07-4023.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-01-29.
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