NBC "Today" - Transcript

Interview

NBC "Today" Interview With Janet Napolitano, Secretary Of Homeland Security

Interviewer: Ann Curry

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MS. CURRY: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is leading the government's response to the swine flu outbreak.

Secretary Napolitano, good morning.

SEC. NAPOLITANO: Good morning.

MS. CURRY: Madame Secretary, other nations are taking some very strong steps to flag people as they may be -- who may be infected with the swine flu, including temperature tests at airports in Asia and requiring pilot reports on any sick passengers who are arriving in Australia. Yet people are being waved through in the United States when they arrive from Mexico. Is the United States doing enough to protect America from new infections?

SEC. NAPOLITANO: I think so. We're doing what's called passive surveillance at the airports and at the land ports. But as you know, we already have the virus pretty widespread within the United States. So there's a lot of action that is going on to make sure, for example, the stockpile of antivirals is moving to the states that already have confirmed cases. That is underway.

We're also looking at, you know, what needs to be done if more than isolated schools or whatever have to be closed. And we're telling people, "Look, if you have a temperature, heavy cough or what have you, and you've been exposed or think you've been exposed to someone who's been traveling to Mexico, then go see a health professional. Don't go to work. Don't send your kid to school if they're sick." So everybody has a role here to protect.

MS. CURRY: Madame Secretary, forgive me for asking the question again, but I think a lot of Americans are concerned about this. Why is it not smart to do more to prevent new cases from arriving from Mexico? Why is it not smart to stop people at the border?

SEC. NAPOLITANO: Well, again, that's something that always can be considered. But you have to look at what the costs of that are. We literally have thousands of trucks and lots of commerce that cross that border. We have food products and other things that have to go across that border. So that would be a very, very heavy cost for, as the epidemiologists tell us would be marginal, if any, utility in terms of actually preventing the spread of the virus.

MS. CURRY: A lot of Americans are asking about whether the U.S. response is being affected by the fact that we don't have all the positions filled -- the acting chief of Centers for Disease Control, but there is not a person at the job permanently at the moment; no Health and Human Services secretary; also top positions at that department are unfilled. And also even 20 senior-level positions in your department are temporarily being handled. So the question is, is this administration up to the challenge of this crisis?

SEC. NAPOLITANO: Yes, absolutely. And we had a Homeland Security Council meeting last night with many, many departments of the federal government -- Agriculture, Commerce, as I just mentioned, Department of Veterans Affairs, just to name a few. So there's a very broad, multi-agency federal response going on. And I do look forward to the Senate confirming Governor Sebelius at HHS. I understand that debate and vote may be as early as today. But in the meantime, we're working very well with the career civil servants that are in these positions.

MS. CURRY: President Obama said on Monday that there is a cause for concern, but not alarm. What should we be watching for, Madame Secretary, that should trigger an alarm?

SEC. NAPOLITANO: Well, I think we anticipate that there will be confirmed cases in more states as we go through the coming days. And I think the feeling ought to be that of preparation, not fear. Understand that --

MS. CURRY: But at what point do you know that a pandemic is underway is the question.

SEC. NAPOLITANO: Well, that is a question better answered by the World Health Organization. As you know, they're the ones that set those levels for the world. We're at level four right now, six being pandemic. But even so, we're prepared as if there were a pandemic. In other words, we're not going to watch for the WHO.

MS. CURRY: All right. Well, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, stand by, please, because we want to ask you something else in just a moment.

(Programming break.)

MS. CURRY: Let's bring back in Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Janet, could you please tell us -- you're in charge of Homeland Security -- how do you explain how the government could have sanctioned a low-flying plane over Lower Manhattan, which, of course, is still having the memory of 9/11?

SEC. NAPOLITANO: You know, there are a lot of questions to be answered there. My understanding is the FAA sanctioned that. But I share that concern. I don't know how that happened. And we want to get to the bottom of that. You know, mistakes were made. Mistakes shouldn't be repeated.

MS. CURRY: Are you embarrassed that the government made this mistake, did not realize the panic this would cause in Lower Manhattan?

SEC. NAPOLITANO: Well, I don't think it was the right thing to do, and it certainly wasn't intended as such. But again, we're looking into that right now, what exactly happened here.

MS. CURRY: All right, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, thank you so much on both counts this morning.

SEC. NAPOLITANO: You bet.

END.

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