President Joe Biden will travel to the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday for an event marking the creation of the agency in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden will travel to the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday for an event marking the creation of the agency in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.
Biden will visit the department’s headquarters in Washington and thank employees for their work responding to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and immigration issues. He will also call on Congress to provide additional funding for the department, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to preview the trip before it was publicly announced.
Biden’s visit is part of a ceremony that will include remarks by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, as well as recorded messages from former President George W. Bush and Tom Ridge, the department’s first secretary.
Homeland Security is one of the US government’s largest departments. It has been given wide jurisdiction over immigration, transportation security and cyber preparedness.
“Today we are more fit for purpose than at any point in the history of the department, as we face the threats of today and plan for the threats of tomorrow,” Mayorkas said in a statement.
Read: GOP Homeland Leader Eyes Ambitious Overhaul Amid Partisan Fights
But the secretary — and the department as a whole — have come under increased scrutiny from congressional Republicans, particularly over immigration policies.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican, told Bloomberg on Tuesday that he intended to create a bipartisan panel to reorganize and reauthorize the department, with an eye toward streamlining the leadership structure.
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