[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13582-13583]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            THANKING THE CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION

  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I wish to also, in the brief time I have 
allotted, say a few words about a very important subject to our 
Government and to our Nation. I wish to say a few words about the 
importance of continuity of our Nation's Government.
  Today, the Continuity of Government Commission, a joint project of 
the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, is 
releasing a report to the Congress on this matter. I express my 
appreciation to the commission for their responsible and forthright 
assessment of needed constitutional reforms in this area. Their report 
will be an invaluable addition to this ongoing discussion, and it will 
provide a sound basis for hearings I plan to hold in the Senate 
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution later this year.
  I was not here serving in Washington in this body when the attacks 
came on September 11. Like so many other Americans, I was at home, 
preparing for work, when I heard the terrible news and saw it displayed 
on the television set. But I know that many of my friends and 
colleagues who were here on that horrific day feel a very personal debt 
to the heroes of flight 93.
  The brave passengers on that flight did more than just save the lives 
of their fellow citizens. Absent their courageous sacrifice, it is 
likely that flight 93 would have reached its final destination in this 
very building, in an attack that would have virtually eliminated an 
entire branch of our Government.
  Even as we have dedicated ourselves to fighting terror at home and 
abroad, even as we hope and pray that the tragedies of September 11 
will never be repeated, we must always remain conscious of our promise 
as Senators to serve the people of our States and our Nation and to 
support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
  In the aftermath of those attacks, it is now increasingly clear that 
our current system providing for the continuity of government in the 
event of a disaster is inadequate in the reality of the post-9/11 
world. If an attack of this nature occurred again, and was even 
partially successful, our Government

[[Page 13583]]

and our Constitution would be ill prepared for the sudden 
ramifications.
  As unthinkable as another attack of that magnitude may be, we in the 
legislative branch must be ready for the worst. We must provide for the 
stable continuance of government, despite all possible calamities. We 
owe it to the American people to ensure that our Government remains 
strong and stable even in the face of disaster.
  What the evildoers who committed this terrible act on 9/11 will never 
understand is that America cannot be destroyed by weapons, by armies, 
or by terrorist attacks. No matter how many weapons they try to make, 
no matter what secret schemes they concoct, no matter what buildings 
they destroy, as long as the dream of freedom lives within our hearts, 
America endures, a beacon of light shining for all the world to see.
  The passengers on flight 93 were everyday Americans, men and women 
with jobs, with families, and dreams. Like all of us, they made 
promises to their loved ones before they boarded that plane: promises 
of vacations and baseball games, of presents and anniversaries.
  Some promises are not cheap, others cost nothing, others require that 
we risk all, even our very lives. The crash site left behind by the 
heroes of flight 93, nestled in the hills of Pennsylvania, is filled 
with memories of the promises they made and will never keep. That 
hallowed ground marks their last promise: a promise carried on to the 
Nation, their children, their loved ones left behind--a promise that 
says freedom will not end here in the violent acts of evil men. It 
persists, it endures, and it will not be destroyed.
  Our Government must not fail the children of flight 93. This body 
must not fail them. We must prepare for all contingencies, fulfilling 
our oaths of office, to ensure that the promise of our free 
Government--a government of laws, not men--shall not perish from this 
Earth.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa.
  Mr. HARKIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be 
allowed to speak for up to 15 minutes in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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