U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS WELCOMES NOMINATION OF GOVERNOR JANET NAPOLITANO AS SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
December 1, 2008
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords issued the following statement today after President-elect Barack Obama announced that he will nominate Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Arizonans have a long tradition of playing an important role in the public life of our nation by serving in the Cabinet. Stewart Udall, Bruce Babbitt and Mary Peters have each provided the residents of this great state with ample reasons to feel proud. So will Governor Janet Napolitano. She is a distinguished addition to the illustrious roster of Arizonans who have served as Cabinet Secretaries.
President-elect Barack Obama could not have picked a better Secretary of Homeland Security than Janet Napolitano. As governor over the past six years, she has had to deal with some of the most difficult issues confronting the second-fastest growing state in the nation. First and foremost among these has been border security and illegal immigration. She knows the seriousness of this problem. She has a keen, first-hand understanding of the tremendous toll it is taking on our communities, our schools and our hospitals. Her experience will certainly serve the American people well at the Department of Homeland Security.
In her relationship with the Arizona Legislature, Governor Napolitano has proven to be an effective, bipartisan leader. As Arizona’s Attorney General and U.S. Attorney for Arizona, she showed a willingness to enforce our laws without fear or favor. These traits tell me that she will be of invaluable help to our new president as he assumes the highest office in the land at this critical time.
For Arizonans, of course, Governor Napolitano’s nomination is a mixed blessing. Should she be confirmed – and I have no doubt she will – we will lose a truly great governor. Arizonans know Janet Napolitano as a practical, no-nonsense chief executive who guides our state with a steady hand and common sense decisions. This is why Time magazine picked her as one of the nation’s best governors in 2005 and this is why President-elect Obama picked her to serve in his Cabinet.
In his announcement today, the president-elect said that Janet Napolitano will be part of a team that helps shape our times rather than being shaped by them. I agree. Like all Arizonans, I wish her well in this challenging assignment.
