[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25605]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    INTELLIGENCE REFORM LEGISLATION

  (Mr. MENENDEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 63rd anniversary of the 
attack on Pearl Harbor. The day after, President Roosevelt said, ``I 
will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger 
us again.'' In the days after the attacks of September 11, we as a 
Congress pledged to do the same exact thing. However, since then the 
record of this House can be questioned.
  In July of 2002, with only 25 Republican votes, House Democrats voted 
to create the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong and what 
needed to be done to protect the American people. Earlier this year, 
some in this House sought to block an extension of the deadline for the 
commission's report. Last month, some in this House blocked 
consideration of the conference report to implement the critical 
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
  Mr. Speaker, it is almost 3 years and 3 months since the attacks of 
September 11, and 138 days since the 9/11 Commission unanimously made 
their bipartisan recommendations, yet Congress has still not given the 
American people a bill that reforms our intelligence agencies' 
structure and secures our Nation against terrorism.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. Speaker, we have one final chance to do right by the American 
people. I urge the House leadership to bring this Conference Report to 
a vote today in the House.

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