[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1929-E1930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING SEPTEMBER 11 AS A DAY OF REMEMBRANCE

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                               speech of

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 10, 2007

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be in Washington, DC on 
September 10, 2007 when the House considered H. Res. 643, commemorating 
the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I ask that the Record 
reflect that had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall 
vote No. 866.
  It is hard to believe that 6 years have passed since that fateful day 
when terrorists struck the World Trade Center in my district in New 
York, and hijacked planes that crashed into the Pentagon and in 
Pennsylvania. September 11th exposed significant vulnerabilities in our 
homeland security, and much of the last 6 years has been spent trying 
to fill these holes and make us more secure.
  I am proud of the progress we have made to address homeland security, 
Earlier this year, Congress passed H.R. 1 finally implementing all of 
the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Included in that bill was a 
provision I championed to fill the gaps in our port security system. 
This provision requires that within five years every shipping container 
must be scanned before coming to the United States so that terrorists 
cannot smuggle deadly weapons into this country through our ports. H.R. 
1 also created a new rail and transit security program, increased risk-
based homeland security grant funding, included measures to secure 
loose nuclear material overseas, and required 100 percent screening of 
air cargo.
  Despite the progress that has been made, we still have not fulfilled 
our moral obligation to the victims of the September 11th terrorist 
attack, which includes not just the people who

[[Page E1930]]

live and work and go to school in the area around Ground Zero, but also 
the emergency response workers who came from all over the country to 
aid in the recovery and who are now sick as a result of exposure to 
World Trade Center toxic dust.
  This week, I, along with Congresswoman Maloney and Congressman 
Fossella introduced essential, new legislation that ensures that 
everyone exposed to World Trade Center toxins, no matter where they may 
live now or in the future, would have a right to high-quality medical 
monitoring and treatment, and access to a re-opened Victim Compensation 
Fund for their losses. Whether you are a first responder who toiled 
without proper protection; or an area resident, worker or student who 
was caught in the plume or subject to ongoing indoor contamination; if 
you were harmed by 
9/11, you would be eligible. This bill builds on the best ideas brought 
to Congress thus far and on the infrastructure already in place 
providing critical treatment and monitoring.
  What is also troubling is that 6 years have passed, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency has yet to conduct a comprehensive 
testing and cleanup program to remove World Trade Center dust from area 
buildings. A recent GAO report confirms the horrible reality that to 
this day, due to their negligence and inaction, the EPA cannot say with 
certainty that even a single building in the area is free of World 
Trade Center contamination. As such, we cannot know how many more 
people will become sick because of lingering environmental toxins in 
their homes, workplaces and schools. The Administration must act 
immediately to design and implement a new, proper testing and cleaning 
program.
  For many of us, the effects of 9/11 are always present in our hearts 
and minds. But I hope that the 9/11 anniversary will serve as a 
reminder to others that we must fulfill our moral obligation to remove 
the threat of 9/11 contamination and to provide health care for those 
who are sick as a result of it. My colleagues and I will not stop 
fighting until this obligation is met.

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