WASHINGTON – Today, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement thanking Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Jane Holl Lute for her service. Earlier this week Deputy Secretary Lute announced her decision to step down from the Department of Homeland Security:

“Jane has been a vital asset in carrying out the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect and secure all Americans,” said Chairman Carper. “The skills, expertise and drive she brought to the Department – developed during her thirty years in military and government service – have left us all safer than we were before her arrival at the agency four years ago. Specifically, I want to thank her for her leadership as the chief operating officer of the Department, where she did a remarkable job managing the third-largest federal agency and its 240,000 employees, while making DHS more efficient with scarce taxpayer resources. During her tenure DHS earned a qualified audit opinion on all of its Fiscal Year 2012 financial statements, a first for DHS and in record time for such a large and new federal Department. She was also instrumental in driving the great progress DHS has made in addressing, and significantly narrowing, the operational and management issues that have been designated as "high risk" by the Government Accountability Office.  Finally, Jane played an important role in preparing our country for the 21st Century threat of cyber attacks and in building DHS into a world class cyber organization. We’ll miss her leadership and partnership, but I wish her all the best as she moves into the next chapter of her life and career.”

Dr. Coburn said, “Jane is an outstanding example of a great public servant.  During her time at the Department, she maintained her commitment to solving serious management challenges facing DHS, and I will miss working with her.   No one has asked more tough question of the Department than I have, but I have always appreciated Jane’s candor and intellect.  I hope whoever follows in Jane’s footsteps will have the same commitment to improving the Department by safeguarding American tax dollars and maximizing efforts to protect Americans citizens from harm.”

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