Obama Cabinet and Key White House Staff
15. Janet Napolitano (D) - Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Governor, Arizona
Former U.S. Attorney, Arizona
Nominated: December 1, 2008
Obama’s comments:
“Janet Napolitano offers the experience and executive skill that we need in the next Secretary of Homeland Security. She has spent her career protecting people—as a US Attorney, an Attorney General, and as Governor of Arizona. She understands the need for a Department of Homeland Security that has the capacity to help prevent terrorist attacks and respond to catastrophe—be it manmade or natural.
“Janet assumes this critical role having learned the lessons—some of them painful —of the last several years, from 9/11 to Katrina. She insists on competence and accountability. She knows firsthand the need to have a partner in Washington that works well with state and local governments. She understands as well as anyone the danger of an unsecure border. And she will be a leader who can reform a sprawling Department while safeguarding our homeland.”
Others’ comments:
“President-elect Barack Obama's choice for homeland security chief blames budget problems and the difficulty coordinating agencies in Arizona, where she has been governor, for failing to complete key provisions of a detailed security plan for her own state.
“Gov. Janet Napolitano put together the plan six years ago to improve Arizona's ability to respond to emergencies, detect and prevent terrorist attacks and secure Arizona’s border with Mexico. But some key provisions remain incomplete. Firefighters, paramedics and other first responders at disaster scenes still can’t always communicate by radio without calling in special equipment, and criminal records still aren’t fully available electronically.
“Napolitano would face challenges on an even larger scale at the Homeland Security Department. Unable to accomplish all her state’s homeland security goals, she goes before Congress with an obvious question on the table: Can she do better in Washington?”
—The Huffington Post
Approved: January 20, 2009
Sworn in: January 20, 2009
Appointment Impact: Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R) replaces Napolitano as Arizona Governor
“Napolitano, a Democrat, leaves her state post halfway through her second four-year term. Her elevation means Republican Secretary of State Jan Brewer now seizes the governor’s office.
“The change comes at a time when the Republican-leaning state faces a budget crisis and will likely mark a major change in how Arizona tackles it.
“The swap of Brewer for Napolitano also will put a social conservative—and abortion foe—in the governor’s office. In addition, Napolitano has set career and legislative records for vetoes by an Arizona governor by killing bills passed by the Legislature on topics ranging from abortion and private school vouchers to border security and eminent domain.”
—USA Today
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