U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff honored the department's 218,000 employees during its fourth annual awards ceremony on November 20, 2008 to recognize the many accomplishments of its men and women.

General Douglas O’Dell, Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, told experts gathered for a rental housing roundtable discussion that their ideas were key in helping restore, rebuild and build affordable rental housing for the residents of Louisiana on Tuesday, November 18, 2008.

Secretary Chertoff discussed aviation security measures at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. on November 17, 2008.

Secretary Chertoff and Irish Minister for Transportation Noel Dempsey spoke on the aviation preclearance agreement on November 17, 2008 in Washington, D.C.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to strengthen General Aviation (GA) security to further minimize the vulnerability of GA aircraft flights being used to deliver illicit materials, transport dangerous individuals or employ aircraft as a weapon.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced additional measures to strengthen private aircraft security by requiring more detailed information about arriving and departing private aircraft and persons onboard, within a timeframe necessary for the department to assess the risks that certain flights may pose to national security. The Advance Information on Private Aircraft Arriving and Departing the United States final rule expands on existing regulations and is part of a comprehensive effort to strengthen general aviation security.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has enacted new rules changing the procedure for private aircraft to provide advance notice of their intended arrival or departure, and submit manifests of the persons on board. Private aircraft are defined as any aircraft, other than government or military, which are not engaged in carrying passengers or cargo for compensation. The new process is similar to the one currently in use by commercial aircraft and will standardize advance notice procedures for all CBP airports of entry.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff signed an agreement on new aviation preclearance security operations with Irish Minister of Transport Noel Dempsey. The agreement broadens U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations in Shannon and Dublin, Ireland, to include full preclearance of commercial and private air passenger flights destined for the United States.