Major Duties: In 2005, President Bush chose federal appeals court judge Michael Chertoff to be his second-term Homeland Security Secretary, replacing former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, the nation's first Homeland chief. The Homeland Secretary is charged with overseeing the new department in its mission to reduce America's vulnerability to attack, intercept those that are planned and respond to those that occur. President Bush chose Ridge to head the new agency, the third-largest in Washington, after he had served as the president's homeland security adviser. Ridge won praise for improving communication between Washington and local governments while at that post.
Merging With:
The Secret Service now reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security, though it is not merged with any other department function. Secret Service agents not only protect national leaders and safeguard major events, but also combat counterfeiting, cyber-crime, identity fraud, and access device fraud, all closely tied to the terrorist threat.