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Ridge FactSheet

Tom Ridge
Bush Cheerleader, Gas Tax Guzzler

Politicizing Safety to Cover for Bush
Ridge Raised Terror Alert Level While Bush Faced Pressure To Enact 9-11 Commission Reforms. On August 1st, Ridge announced he was raising the terror alert level to orange for the financial services sectors in New York City, Washington and Newark, citing intelligence that al Qaeda was plotting to blow up specific buildings with car or truck bombs. [Washington Post, 8/2/04]

Republicans "Privately Questioned Ridge's Timing." "... Doubts were raised ... even [by] some senior Republicans who privately questioned Ridge's timing. The announcement came three days after the close of the Democratic National Convention, which helped increase Kerry's terrorism-fighting poll ratings and less than two weeks after a scathing report by the Sept. 11 Commission." [AP, 8/3/04]

Voters "Smell Politics Behind the Warning." "One top GOP operative, who works closely with Bush's political team, said the White House appeared to overplay its hand, and voters may smell politics behind the warning." [AP, 8/3/04]

Crippling America's Ability to Respond to Disasters like Katrina
Ridge Ignored Pre-Katrina Warning About FEMA Weaknesses. "On Sept. 15, 2003, one of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge's deputies lobbed a bureaucratic hand grenade across his desk. In a seven-page memo, the new department's undersecretary for emergency preparedness and response told Ridge that his organizational plan would cripple America's ability to respond to disasters. The memo, like so many that flew around Washington during the largest government reshuffling in decades, involved turf: Ridge had decided to move some of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's preparedness functions to an office less than one-fifteenth its size. The writer warned that the shift would make a mockery of FEMA's new motto, 'A Nation Prepared,' and would 'fundamentally sever FEMA from its core functions,' 'shatter agency morale,' and 'break longstanding, effective and tested relationships with states and first responder stakeholders.' The inevitable result, he wrote, would be 'an ineffective and uncoordinated response' to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. The author was Michael D. Brown, who was FEMA's director as well as a Department of Homeland Security undersecretary. Two years later, Brown would lose both titles after Hurricane Katrina, when his prophecies of doom came true." [Washington Post, 12/23/05]

Cheerleading for Bush when Security was on the Line
At Terror Press Conference Ridge Was Cheerleading for Bush. " ... We are better protected than we ever have been before ... But we must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president's leadership in the war against terror, the reports that have led to this alert are the result of offensive intelligence and military operations overseas, as well as strong partnerships with our allies around the world, such as Pakistan." [Ridge Remarks, 8/1/04]

Gas Prices on the Rise? Ridge Said Make 'em Higher!
Ridge Proposed 6.5 Cent Increase in Gas Tax, As Gas Prices Were Rising. "Last week, legislative leaders said Ridge's proposal to raise the gas tax by 6.5 cents would not be considered anytime soon. The proposal, which came in an election year for House and many Senate members, appeared dead on arrival. It did not help that the administration seemed to hold some road projects hostage when it announced that PennDOT could not afford $2.2 billion in planned highway improvements without increased revenues. But the gas tax also fell victim to bad timing. Nationally, gas prices are rising, angering consumers and prompting Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole, whom Ridge supports, to call for a reduction in the federal gas tax." [Morning Call, 5/5/95]

In 1996, Ridge Tried Again to Raise Gas Tax. In 1996, Gov. Ridge unsuccessfully proposed a $12 increase in automobile registration and title fees and an oil tax increase that would have meant an additional 3.5 cents per gallon at the gas pump. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 2/21/97; 3/12/96]

Infamous for Faulty Leadership
Ridge's Tenure Saw Variety of Failures. "DHS came under criticism repeatedly during Ridge's tenure. Groups ranging from the Government Accountability Office to independent homeland security analysts, privacy advocates and lawmakers found fault with the department and Ridge's leadership of it. He has had to defend the department's work to integrate its own systems, merge terrorist watch lists, create an entry-exit system for the nation's borders, and craft systems for pinpointing risky passengers and cargo." [Washington Technology, 12/13/04]