[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 757 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 757

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the anniversary 
    of the terrorist attacks launched against the United States on 
                          September 11, 2001.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 8, 2004

     Mr. Hyde (for himself and Mr. Lantos) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
    Relations, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, 
 Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Judiciary, for a period to 
      be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the anniversary 
    of the terrorist attacks launched against the United States on 
                          September 11, 2001.

Whereas on September 11, 2001, while Americans were attending to their daily 
        routines, terrorists hijacked four civilian aircraft, crashing two of 
        them into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and a 
        third into the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., and a fourth was 
        prevented from also being used as a weapon against America by brave 
        passengers who placed their country above their own lives;
Whereas three years later the country continues to, and shall forever, mourn the 
        tragic loss of life at the hands of terrorist attackers;
Whereas by targeting symbols of American strength and success, these attacks 
        clearly were intended to assail the principles, values, and freedoms of 
        the United States and the American people, intimidate the Nation, and 
        weaken the national resolve;
Whereas three years after September 11, 2001, the United States is fighting a 
        Global War on Terrorism to protect America and her friends and allies;
Whereas since the United States was attacked, it has led an international 
        military coalition in the destruction of two terrorist regimes in 
        Afghanistan and Iraq while using diplomacy and sanctions in cooperation 
        with Great Britain and the international community to lead a third 
        terrorist regime in Libya away from its weapons of mass destruction;
Whereas the United States is reorganizing itself in order to more effectively 
        wage the Global War on Terrorism by transforming the Department of 
        Defense, sharpening the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 
        counterterrorism focus, strengthening the authority of the Director of 
        Central Intelligence to coordinate national intelligence activities, and 
        creating a Department of Homeland Security;
Whereas of the senior al-Qaida leaders, operational managers, and key 
        facilitators that the United States Government has been tracking, nearly 
        two-thirds of such individuals have been taken into custody or killed;
Whereas just as significant, with the help of its allies, the United States has 
        disrupted individuals and organizations that facilitate terrorism--
        movers of money, people, messages, and supplies--who have acted as the 
        glue binding the global al-Qaida network together;
Whereas Pakistan has taken into custody more than 500 members of al-Qaida and 
        the Taliban regime, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi bin al 
        Shibh, conspirators in the September 11, 2001, attacks, and Kahallad 
        Ba'Attash, an individual involved in the planning of the attack on the 
        USS COLE in 2000;
Whereas Jordan continues its strong counterterrorism efforts, arresting two 
        individuals with links to al-Qaida who admitted responsibility for the 
        October 2002 murder in Amman, Jordan, of Lawrence Foley, a United States 
        Agency for International Development Foreign Service Officer;
Whereas in June 2002, Morocco took into custody al-Qaida operatives plotting to 
        attack United States Navy ships and ships of other member nations of the 
        North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Strait of Gibraltar;
Whereas the United States and its allies in Southeast Asia have made significant 
        advances against the regional terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah, 
        which was responsible for the attack in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2003 
        that killed more than 200 people;
Whereas Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and other countries in 
        Southeast Asia have taken into custody leaders and operatives of local 
        al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist organizations and members of al-Qaida 
        traveling through such countries;
Whereas the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and other countries 
        have disrupted cells of the al-Qaida terrorist organization and are 
        vigorously pursuing other leads relating to terrorist activity;
Whereas following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States 
        Government initiated innovative programs, such as the Customs-Trade 
        Partnership Against Terrorism program and the Container Security 
        Initiative, to extend our borders overseas and to secure and screen 
        cargo before it is placed on ships destined for United States ports of 
        entry;
Whereas the Department of Homeland Security implemented the US-VISIT border 
        security screening system in December 2003 at all air and sea ports of 
        entry, requiring that nonimmigrant visa holders entering the United 
        States be fingerprinted and screened through various criminal and 
        terrorist databases before entry into the United States, and this system 
        will be expanded to land ports of entry in accordance with congressional 
        deadlines;
Whereas since September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard has conducted more than 
        124,000 port security patrols, 13,000 air patrols, boarded more than 
        92,000 vessels, interdicted over 14,000 individuals attempting to enter 
        the United States illegally, and created and maintained more than 90 
        Maritime Security Zones;
Whereas following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Terrorist Threat 
        Integration Center was established, which now fuses, for the first time 
        in United States history, terrorist-related information, foreign and 
        domestic, available to the United States Government for systematic 
        analysis and dissemination to prevent or disrupt terrorist attacks on 
        the United States;
Whereas following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Terrorist Screening 
        Center, a multi-agency partnership, was established to integrate the 
        dozens of separate terrorist databases that existed before September 
        11th into a single terrorist watch list for use by Federal, State, and 
        local law enforcement, intelligence, and border security personnel;
Whereas following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States 
        Government has ensured the hardening of cockpit doors on airplanes and 
        greatly expanded the use of armed Federal air marshals to prevent and 
        deter future hijackings that could turn commercial planes into weapons 
        of mass destruction;
Whereas having recognized the need to prevent terrorist organizations from using 
        their resources, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has worked closely 
        with the Department of the Treasury to target 62 terrorist organizations 
        and freeze $125,000,000 in assets of such organizations worldwide used 
        to fund terrorist activities;
Whereas to date United States Armed Forces and Coalition forces have killed or 
        captured 43 of the 55 most wanted criminals of the Saddam Hussein regime 
        in Iraq, including Saddam Hussein himself;
Whereas the al-Zarqawi terror network used Baghdad as a base of operations to 
        coordinate the movement of people, money, and supplies; and
Whereas thousands of families have lost loved ones in the defense of freedom and 
        liberty against the tyranny of terror: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) extends again its deepest sympathies to the thousands 
        of innocent victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist 
        attacks, their families, friends, and loved ones;
            (2) honors the heroic actions and the sacrifices of United 
        States military and civilian personnel and their families who 
        have sacrificed much, including their lives and health, in 
        defense of their country in the Global War on Terrorism;
            (3) honors the heroic actions of first responders, law 
        enforcement personnel, State and local officials, volunteers, 
        and others who aided the innocent victims and, in so doing, 
        bravely risked their own lives and long-term health;
            (4) expresses thanks and gratitude to the foreign leaders 
        and citizens of all nations who have assisted and continue to 
        stand in solidarity with the United States against terrorism in 
        the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
            (5) discourages, in the strongest possible terms, any 
        effort to confuse the Global War on Terrorism with a war on any 
        people or any faith;
            (6) reaffirms its commitment to the Global War on Terrorism 
        and to providing the United States Armed Forces with the 
        resources and support to wage it effectively and safely;
            (7) vows that it will continue to take whatever actions 
        necessary to identify, intercept, and disrupt terrorists and 
        their activities; and
            (8) reaffirms that the American people will never forget 
        the sacrifices made on September 11, 2001, and will never bow 
        to terrorist demands.
                                 <all>