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Senate poised to confirm RidgeNew Cabinet post with homeland security
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate is poised to confirm Tom Ridge as the first secretary of the new Cabinet-level Homeland Security Department, which was created in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A vote on Ridge's nomination was expected Wednesday, and approval of the nomination appeared virtually assured. Ridge coasted through his confirmation hearing last week, which one senator called a "coronation." At that time, Ridge told lawmakers that the country is safer, but there remains "a long journey to undertake" to protect the nation from further terrorist attacks. "In spite of everything we have done, we are only at the beginning of what will be a long struggle to protect this country from terrorism," Ridge told the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. For the past 15 months, Ridge -- a 57-year-old veteran Republican politician -- has served as director of the White House Office of Homeland Security. Critics say its principal achievement has been the creation of a color-coded warning system. Bush originally resisted efforts to form the new agency, and Ridge -- a former governor of Pennsylvania and six-term of the House of Representatives -- is credited with persuading him to change his mind. The September 11 attacks exposed security lapses and intelligence failures, and led to calls for sweeping changes to the nation's defense, intelligence and law enforcement sectors. President Bush named Ridge as his choice to lead the new department the same day he signed into law the bill creating it. The department will combine roughly 180,000 people from 22 departments and will focus on protecting the country from terrorist attacks. But Ridge warned last week that the department alone "will not in and of itself be able to stop all attempts by those who wish to do us harm," he said, adding that there needs to be a "shared responsibility" between all levels of government "for homeland security to be effective." The sprawling department is to be divided into four main sections: border and transportation security, information analysis and infrastructure protection, emergency preparedness and science and technology. The Coast Guard and the Secret Service will remain independent. Critics say the new department will create needless overlap and maintain that existing government agencies should simply be strengthened. Proponents say it will focus greater attention and resources on security in the United States, and minimize overlapping or conflicting missions.
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