[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 78 (Thursday, June 13, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H3542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SECURING OUR HOMELAND

  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, as my colleague from South Carolina has just 
chosen to recognize the 227th anniversary of the United States Army, I 
think it is important for us to note that President Bush has come 
forward with a very important proposal.
  We saw, as the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) mentioned, 
the tragic loss of life in this war on terrorism that has just taken 
place, and we continue to see this struggle move forward. Just 
yesterday the President made it very clear in his statement, we are in 
the midst of a war on terrorism, and that war has been brought to our 
homeland.
  The President has, I believe, come forward with an extraordinarily 
bold proposal. That proposal is designed to ensure that the Federal 
Government, working in concert with State and local governments, is in 
a position to secure our homeland. For the first time, we have seen men 
and women in uniform now fighting international conflicts, not simply 
as men and women wearing military uniforms. We have seen firefighters 
and law enforcement officers on the front line in this struggle.
  The President's proposal for homeland security and establishing a new 
Department is a right one; and I hope very much that we are going to do 
the right thing, be careful about it, but do it just as expeditiously 
as possible.

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