Friday, December 3, 2004

Secretary Thompson resigns and asks me to come down to the Department as he makes his announcement. He brought me into his office alone and with both of us in tears he expressed his gratitude and admiration for my service to him, the DHHS and the country. I expressed my mutual feelings for him. Below is his resignation statement: Dear Friends, This morning, I submitted to President Bush my resignation as Secretary of Health and Human Services. It was a difficult decision and one I did not make easily. But after nearly 40 years of public service, it is time for me and my family to move onto the next chapter in our life. It has been my honor and privilege to serve President Bush and the nation with each of you in this dynamic Department. As I have often said, our 67,000-member family is home to the finest employees in the federal government. When you work at HHS, the greatest doctors, scientists and public servants in the world are your coworkers. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work with all of you in this noble calling. I am extremely proud of the work we did together at America's Department of Compassion. President Bush set forth an ambitious agenda for our Department. And I love a big challenge. Since the day I walked through the doors of this building, we have worked tirelessly to better the health and well-being of the American people and our neighbors throughout the world. Thanks to your work, * We delivered on our promise to modernize Medicare with prescription drug coverage - the most historic improvement to Medicare since it was created in 1965. Now seniors and the disabled will get substantial help paying for the modern medicines and preventive services that extend and enhance their lives. * We're spending more in medical research than any time in our history. And the President opened the door to federal funding of groundbreaking stem cell research. * We're investing in our long-neglected public health system, making our nation better prepared to fight disease or biological attacks. We're improving the safety of the food we eat and import. * We're developing the new medicines and vaccines to protect our citizens from disease or bioterrorism. * Our children are healthier than ever, with health coverage and immunization rates at record highs and childhood drug usage going down. * We turned America's attention to disease prevention, motivating Americans to eat better and exercise more in order to improve their health and quality of life. * And we're waging a bold new global fight against HIV/AIDS, committing an unprecedented $15 billion toward eradicating this scourge. This will be a jewel in the President's legacy - and our years at HHS. Together, we also faced challenges that were unpredictable and unimaginable. * HHS was among the first on the ground to care for New York City residents and assist in the aftermath of 9/11. * From the day I arrived, we spoke of the need to better prepare for bioterrorism, and together we helped this nation weather the first biological attack on its people with the anthrax letters. * We expanded our cache of smallpox vaccine, so we can now protect every man, woman in child if this vicious disease were to return. * We protected America from SARS and we helped the world understand this mysterious disease so we could contain its spread. * We're leading the world to prepare for a world flu pandemic and Avian flu. * And, together with our public health partners, we have helped this nation manage an unexpected influenza vaccine shortage. That is quite a record in four short years. You all should be proud. And, best of all, we are working together more closely than ever before to better serve American families. We truly are One Department - with the best and brightest working together across agencies to solve our nation's toughest problems. And we truly are the Department of Compassion. I will miss you all more than you can ever know. I will forever cherish the friendships I made here the last four years. And I will always be in awe of the talent, dedication and drive of the people of the Department of Health and Human Services. Keep leading this nation forward. Keep putting the well-being of our people first. And keep changing the status quo in search of a better way. You will always be in my prayers and in my heart. With gratitude and friendship, Tommy G. Thompson