[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 11, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S8507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE SESSION

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   SENSE OF THE CONGRESS ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS 
                   LAUNCHED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate 
receives from the House H. Con. Res. 464, a concurrent resolution 
regarding the anniversary of the terrorist attack, the preamble and the 
concurrent resolution be agreed to; that any statements thereon be 
printed in the Record; and the motion to reconsider be laid upon the 
table, provided that it is identical to the resolution that I ask be 
printed in the Record following the granting of this request.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (H. Con. Res. 464), with its preamble, reads as 
follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 464

       Whereas on September 11, 2001, while Americans were 
     attending to their daily routines, terrorists hijacked and 
     destroyed 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.;
       Whereas the valor of the passengers and crew on the fourth 
     aircraft prevented it from also being used as a weapon 
     against America;
       Whereas thousands of innocent Americans were killed and 
     injured as a result of these attacks, including the 
     passengers and crew of the four aircraft, workers in the 
     World Trade Center and in the Pentagon, rescue workers, and 
     bystanders, making these attacks the deadliest terrorist 
     attacks ever launched against the United States;
       Whereas when the gravest moments came, many regular 
     Americans, relying on courage, instinct, and grace, rushed 
     toward the flaming buildings in order to rescue or toward 
     terrorist-controlled cockpits in order to resist;
       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 while the States of New York, Virginia, and 
     Pennsylvania bore the brunt of the terrorist attacks, every 
     State and Territory and all Americans were affected and 
     mourned these tragic losses;
       Whereas Americans reached out to help strangers who had 
     lost loved ones, colleagues, and their businesses;
       Whereas local, State, and Federal leaders set aside 
     differences and worked together to provide for those who were 
     attacked and to protect those who remained;
       Whereas Americans continue to repair damage to buildings 
     and the economy, while relishing the freedoms they enjoy as 
     Americans;
       Whereas on September 14, 2001, in Public Law 107-40, 
     Congress authorized the use of ``all necessary and 
     appropriate force'' against those responsible for the 
     terrorist attacks;
       Whereas the United States Armed Forces subsequently moved 
     swiftly against Al Qaeda and the Taliban regime in 
     Afghanistan, whom the President and Congress had identified 
     as enemies of America;
       Whereas, in so doing, brave servicemen and women left 
     family and friends in order to defend the Nation;
       Whereas a year later, many servicemen and women remain 
     abroad, shielding the Nation from further terrorist attacks;
       Whereas, while the passage of a year has not softened the 
     memory of the American people, resolved their grief, or 
     restored lost loved ones, it has shown that Americans will 
     not bow to terrorists;
       Whereas the Congress has passed, and the President has 
     signed, numerous laws providing additional resources for the 
     overseas effort against terrorism, as well as additional 
     tools for Federal, State, and local law enforcement and 
     judicial systems to protect Americans at home; and
       Whereas the Government reexamined the need for domestic 
     security and the Congress is currently considering 
     legislation to create a Department of Homeland Security with 
     the specific mission of preventing further attacks.

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, what we saw happen to our country 1 year 
ago today will be forever etched in our memories. Several of our 
colleagues have taken time here on the floor today to reflect on that 
horrible day.
  Though our Nation was wounded deeply that day, we learned a great 
deal about ourselves--and that has made our country stronger. The 
courage of the first responders, the valor of the passengers on flight 
93, the strength of the families of the victims, the character of our 
armed forces, and the generosity of Americans from each and every State 
in the Union have shown to terrorists, and to the world, that America 
is strong and will not bow to terror.
  H. Con. Res. 464 is a small tribute to each of these heroes. It 
spells out, in broad bipartisan fashion, Congress's memory for lost 
loved ones, our deep admiration for the families of these innocent 
victims, our respect for the work of our first responders and armed 
forces, and our resolve to find and bring to justice those responsible 
for the attacks.
  That resolve was made clear on September 14, 2001, when we 
overwhelmingly passed S.J. Res. 23. In that resolution, we granted the 
President the authority to pursue the nations, people or organizations 
who perpetrated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United 
States in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism 
against the United States by such nations, people, or organizations.
  With today's resolution, we look back at the horror and the hope we 
saw on a day we will never forget. There may come a day when we must 
again look ahead to threats to our Nation that lie on or beyond the 
horizon. I am confident that when that time comes, Congress will again 
act in a bipartisan fashion to take the steps needed to keep America 
strong, and Americans safe.
  But today, as we walk the path from remembrance to recovery, this 
resolution says what we all know in our hearts: We will never forget.

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