Washington, Oct 02: President George W. Bush said the $30 billion spending bill he has signed- the first ever for the new Homeland Security Department- will help America protect its soil from terrorist threats. ``On Sept.11, 2001, enemies of freedom made our country a battleground,'' he said. ``Their method is the mass murder of the innocent and their goal is to make all Americans live in fear.”
``And yet our nation refuses to live in fear,'' he said. ``The best way to overcome fear and to frustrate the plans of our enemies is to be prepared and resolute at home and take the offensive abroad.''
Bush went to the department's headquarters yesterday to sign the bill at a ceremony under a blue banner reading, ``Protecting the Homeland.''
The bill that Congress sent to Bush was about $1 billion above what the President requested. It includes some $4.2 billion for first-responder programs, $9 billion for border protection and $5.2 billion for the transportation security agency and the Federal Air Marshal programme.
Recalling the attacks two years ago, Bush said the United Nations does not live in the past but still grieves over the thousands of victims.
``We will do everything in our power to prevent another attack on the American people,'' the President said. ``And wherever America's enemies plot and plan, we'll find them and we will bring them to justice.''
Bureau Report