[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22254]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



               AIRLINE SECURITY AND THE STIMULUS PACKAGE

  Ms. STABENOW. Madam President, I would like to share an experience 
this evening and commend a group of individuals who were involved in 
U.S. Airways Flight 969 last evening where I was a passenger going from 
Pittsburgh to National Airport. It was diverted into Dulles, as many of 
us have heard. There was a situation where someone stood up in explicit 
contradiction to the words from the pilot about what was to be done 
under national policy. Once you are within 30 minutes of Reagan 
National Airport, passengers are not under any circumstances to leave 
their seats. Unfortunately, this individual did and headed towards what 
appeared to be the cockpit.
  I commend the air marshals who were on that flight. They responded 
with professionalism. They responded quickly with what appeared to be a 
threat to those of us who were on the flight.
  I commend the pilot on U.S. Airways Flight 969 who responded with 
professionalism. He calmed what obviously was a potentially very 
confusing situation and what could have been great panic. This was the 
result of the pilot, the flight attendants, and the crew.
  I would like to give my thanks and congratulations to everyone who 
was involved in this incident with the way they conducted themselves.
  I was thinking as I sat in the 11th row and the B seat that this is 
an example of what could happen with national law enforcement officials 
professionally trained to do our airline security. It reaffirmed my 
commitment to the belief that we need to do what this Senate did 100 to 
0, which is to pass a law that says those who look at the baggage and 
those who do the security checks of our carry-ons are professionally 
trained Federal law enforcement officials. I call on my colleagues to 
bring that bill back from the conference committee with that provision 
in it.
  I don't believe there was a person on that plane last night who was 
not grateful for the fact that we had Federal law enforcement officials 
trained to protect the people on that plane; they responded 
professionally as Federal law enforcement officials.
  Every day we are grateful to receive that kind of protection from our 
Capitol Police as well, and I think our families deserve to have that.
  I encourage my colleagues to reflect on what is best for all 
Americans, and not what is best for the interests of one party or the 
other.
  I can say with great confidence--and it was reaffirmed last night for 
me--that having Federal law enforcement officials who are trained both 
on the ground checking the baggage as well as on our airplanes is in 
the interests of all of our families.
  I find it interesting now as we are grappling as a body of the Senate 
and the House and coming together as Americans to support the 
President; this is our team on the field. We are the team of Americans. 
The coach is the President, and we are all there together. We are 
supporting the President. We want him to be successful. We all need to 
be successful in fighting these terrorist attacks and making sure that 
our people are safe.
  I think it is also important and it is our responsibility to be able 
to disagree about a particular play or a particular strategy when the 
team is on the field.
  In this particular case, I urge the President to join us in embracing 
the principle that we should have Federal law enforcement security at 
every level of airport and airline security.
  I also ask our colleagues to focus now as we stimulate this economy 
and put money back into people's pockets as well as homeland security. 
The time is now to act. We know that workers need assistance. We know 
the economy needs stimulus. The best way to do both of those is to 
provide relief to workers who need it the most. Economists across the 
country agree that providing relief to low- and moderate-income 
families is one of the most successful ways to stimulate the economy. 
Why? They will immediately take those dollars and go to the grocery 
store. They will buy shoes for their children who go to school. In 
Michigan they will go buy a winter coat. They may buy a new car, which 
we would also be very happy about in the State of Michigan.
  People will turn those dollars around because they need to be able to 
live and to be able to care for their families. Studies have shown that 
every $1 invested in unemployment insurance for those who have lost 
their jobs because of September 11 or other downturns in the economy 
generates $2.15 in gross domestic product. Directly, we know that $1 
generates $2.15.
  So I hope this week we will embrace what the Democrats have porposed 
to stimulate this economy, to put money back in people's pockets, who 
will then use it to care for their families, to spend in the economy, 
and that we will invest in those critical homeland security measures 
that are absolutely necessary for us to move forward as a country.
  This is an opportunity to get it right. This is an opportunity for us 
to take action, action to keep us safe in airports and on airlines, 
action to keep us safe whether it relates to bioterrorism or food 
safety or other critical measures that have been proposed for action by 
the Democratic caucus, and action as it relates to focusing on those 
who are unemployed and those who are low- and moderate-income families 
who need to have money in their pocket to help stimulate this economy.
  The time to act is now. I call on my colleagues, this week, to put 
that at the top of the agenda for both of those items.
  Madam President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BAUCUS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Stabenow). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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