[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 21256-21264]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 722) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives regarding the terrorist attacks launched against the 
United States on September 11, 2001.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 722

       Whereas on the morning of September 11, 2001, 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 of Washington, DC;
       Whereas the passengers and crew aboard United Flight 93 
     fought heroically and sacrificed their own lives by crashing 
     the plane in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to prevent terrorist 
     hijackers from killing additional innocent Americans;
       Whereas nearly 3,000 innocent men, women, and children were 
     murdered in the attacks;
       Whereas eight years later, the United States of America 
     continues to mourn the lives lost on September 11, 2001;
       Whereas by targeting symbols of American strength and 
     prosperity, the attacks were intended to assail the 
     principles and values of the American people and to 
     intimidate the Nation and its allies;
       Whereas the United States remains steadfast in its 
     determination to defeat, disrupt, and destroy terrorist 
     organizations and seeks to harness all elements of national 
     power, including its military, economic, and diplomatic 
     resources, to do so;
       Whereas Congress has passed, and the President has signed, 
     numerous laws to protect the Nation, prevent terrorism at 
     home and abroad, assist victims of terrorism, and support, in 
     the field and upon return, the members of the Armed Forces 
     who courageously defend the United States;
       Whereas the terrorist attacks that have occurred around the 
     world since September 11, 2001, serve as reminders that the 
     hateful inhumanity of terrorism poses a common threat to the 
     free world and to democratic values;
       Whereas the United States has worked cooperatively with the 
     nations of the free world to capture terrorists and bring 
     them to justice;
       Whereas the United States remains committed to building 
     strong and productive counterterrorism alliances;
       Whereas immediately following September 11, 2001, the 
     United States Armed Forces moved swiftly against al-Qaeda and 
     the Taliban, which the President and Congress had identified 
     as enemies of America;
       Whereas in doing so, brave members of the Armed Forces left 
     loved ones in order to defend the Nation; and
       Whereas many members of the Armed Forces remain abroad, 
     defending the Nation from further terrorist attacks and 
     continuing to battle al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, by the House of Representatives, That the House 
     of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes September 11 as both a day to mourn and 
     remember those taken from their loved ones and fellow 
     citizens, and a day for the people of the United States to 
     recommit to the Nation and to each other;
       (2) once again extends its deepest sympathies to the 
     friends, families, and loved ones of the innocent victims of 
     the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks;
       (3) honors the heroic service and sacrifices of first 
     responders, law enforcement personnel, State and local 
     officials, volunteers, and others who aided the victims and, 
     in so doing, bravely risked and often sacrificed their own 
     lives and health;
       (4) expresses gratitude to the foreign leaders and citizens 
     of all nations who continue to stand in solidarity with the 
     United States against the international scourge of terrorism;
       (5) asserts, in the strongest possible terms, that the 
     fight against terrorism is not a war on any nation, any 
     people, or any faith;
       (6) recognizes the heroic service of United States 
     personnel, including members of the United States Armed 
     Forces, United States intelligence agencies, and the United 
     States diplomatic service, and their families, who have 
     sacrificed much, including their lives and health, to defend 
     their country against terrorists;
       (7) vows that it will continue to take whatever actions are 
     appropriate to defend the people of the United States and to 
     identify, intercept, and defeat terrorists, including 
     providing the United States Armed Forces, United States 
     intelligence agencies, and the United States diplomatic 
     service with the resources and support to effectively 
     accomplish this mission; and
       (8) calls on all Americans to renew their devotion to the 
     universal ideals that make the Nation great: freedom, 
     pluralism, equality, and the rule of law.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Berman) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BERMAN. I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield 
myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution pays homage to the lives lost on 
September 11, 2001, and recognizes the anniversary as not only a time 
of solemn commemoration but also as a demonstration of America's great 
resolve in combating terrorism. It extends our enduring and deeper 
condolences to the friends, families and loved ones of the innocent 
victims, and recognizes the heroism of U.S. service men and women who 
defend our country today. It honors the Nation's first responders and 
others whose valiant efforts were a credit to their country on that 
horrible day, and it honors them as they continue to help keep us safe.

                              {time}  1330

  It expresses gratitude to the leaders and citizens of other countries 
who assisted, supported, and stood by the United States in the 
aftermath of the attack.
  In America's modern and fragmented society, collective memories are 
few. But each of us remembers where we were on 9/11 when we heard the 
news. We remember the days of unity that followed when we acted 
together to protect this country from those who were determined to 
bring us to our knees. We remember the efforts that Congress, the 
executive branch, and the American people have made since then to 
protect our Nation from a real and ongoing threat. And even though 8 
years have passed, we must remember that al Qaeda, while under pressure 
everywhere, remains a serious threat to the United States.
  The very al Qaeda leadership responsible for ordering the attacks on 
September 11 continues to rally those who would do us harm and, along 
with its Taliban allies, seeks to defeat our troops in Afghanistan.
  This is a time when we must transcend partisan politics and stand 
together to recall a moment when terrorists targeted the very symbols 
of American strength. Our values and our very foundation were under 
attack, and yet we persevered, and we will carry on the fight against 
extremists who seek to do us harm.
  In this battle, the global realities of the 21st century require that 
we use not only our military but all of the tools available to us: 
economic, financial, diplomatic, and cultural resources to promote a 
better alternative to extremism and to protect our national security.
  Mr. Speaker, none of us will forget what happened 8 years ago. We 
will always remember the victims of 9/11 and the loved ones who 
survived them. We will always honor the first responders who lost their 
lives that day and those in uniform at home and abroad who risk their 
lives today and every day to defend America.
  We will continue to promote our founding principles of freedom and 
equality and ensure that the lives lost in pursuit of our ideals are 
never forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been 8 years since our country and the entire 
world stopped and looked on helplessly as the slaughter of innocents at 
the hands of al Qaeda unfolded before our eyes. And although we watched 
in safety, our fear and hopes were enmeshed with those who, without 
warning, were suddenly forced to fight for their lives and for those of 
the friends and strangers

[[Page 21257]]

around them. It is a true miracle that so many escaped destruction, but 
we will forever mourn the thousands who perished on that terrible day. 
Our sorrow, however deep, cannot match those whose loved ones were 
taken away from them on 9/11. But we will always share a part of it 
even for those whom we will never know. The passage of years has not 
smoothed the deep impressions that we will bear for the rest of our 
lives.
  But as Americans, it is not in our nature to resign ourselves to 
helplessness, even when facing seemingly impossible challenges. 
Instead, we instinctively rally and focus our minds and efforts on 
meeting and overcoming the threats that we face. We have always done 
so, and we have always won.
  If there is anything useful that we could take away from this tragedy 
it is the unmistakable warning we have been given of the unseen dangers 
that we face in this new century. From that, a clarity of vision and a 
new understanding of the world has emerged. Over the past 8 years we 
have come to know our enemies. We have learned that their hatred of us, 
our success, and our freedom is too deep to be changed by concessions 
and appeals to reason. We now grasp the magnitude of the threat, and it 
is a global one. Other countries have come under attack and so can no 
longer deceive themselves that, once again, this is a menace for the 
United States to handle alone while they stand safely on the sidelines. 
We have uncovered their hiding places in caves, in villages, in 
deserts, in cities, in jungles, in back alleys in nations far away, as 
well as right here in our own homeland.
  But it would be a mistake if our successes lead us to believe that 
the danger has passed. We have seen destruction descend from clear and 
sunny skies and know that it can happen again. To hope that our enemies 
will abandon their mission, to relax our watch, is to invite 
destruction.
  President Lincoln said that those who are responsible for our 
Nation's course, which includes the Members of this body, cannot escape 
history. We have a responsibility to do all in our power to ensure that 
our country is secure and that America's promise for the world that 
generations have labored and fought for and died to protect remains 
whole and unbounded.
  How we meet this reality will repeatedly test our national character. 
We are right to remember and mourn those men, women, and children who 
died on that day so sharply etched in our minds that it seems like 
yesterday. But this tragedy must be redeemed by a new understanding of 
our duty to our beloved country and to our fellow citizens and by what 
it is to be an American.
  As long as we draw breath, we will remember those who, asking nothing 
other than to live their lives in peace, were brutally murdered by men 
without conscience or mercy. Let those of us who remain be steadfast, 
be courageous, and live lives worthy of their great sacrifice and 
thereby honor their memories.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our time.
  Mr. BERMAN. I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the distinguished 
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Skelton).
  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, 8 years ago on September 11, 2001, this 
Chamber was empty, the Capitol was evacuated, the Pentagon was burning, 
the Twin Towers in New York lay crumpled, and almost 3,000 of our 
citizens were dead. We can never forget them, and we should never 
forget what we owe them.
  Today we will once again mourn the families and those that are 
fallen, and we express our deepest sympathy to their friends and their 
loved ones. This is only right, but it's not enough. We owe it to the 
victims, to their loved ones, to the survivors, to ourselves to make 
sure that those who carried out this awful attack are brought to 
justice and to ensure that they can never again attack and kill our 
people here at home.
  For too long the war in Afghanistan was the forgotten war. Only 
recently have we refocused our attention on the war on al Qaeda and the 
Taliban who sheltered them as they carried out their plot to murder 
thousands of Americans.
  We can debate the best way to prosecute the fight against al Qaeda 
and the Taliban. For my part, the President has proposed a strategy for 
Afghanistan with which I agree. What we cannot do is walk away from the 
fight. We cannot allow the memory of this horrific event to be 
forgotten, and we cannot forget how important it is to bring those who 
caused it to justice.
  Failing in Afghanistan brings clear and compelling dangers. Failing 
means the Taliban will once again control Afghanistan and permit their 
al Qaeda terrorist allies to operate from there. Failure means we let 
down those who died on 9/11. We can and we should consider how best to 
prosecute the war in Afghanistan. It's not a simple war, it's not an 
easy war. But for the first time, we have a real strategy. And for the 
first time, we are providing the resources needed for the fight. We 
have a new commander who is breathing new life into our effort, and now 
we must show that we have the resolve to give our men and women in 
uniform the time and resources they need to show progress in the fight 
against enemies who carried out this and supported the attacks of 9/11.
  America was attacked on 9/11 by a ruthless, callous enemy. We cannot 
forget that. And we cannot walk away from the war in Afghanistan 
against them.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), our respected Republican leader.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Let me thank my colleagues for yielding and thank them 
for this resolution that's on the floor.
  All of us will remember, I think quite clearly, where we were on the 
morning of September 11, 2001. I think all of us will remember the 
victims of this heinous act that occurred that day. But while we today 
remember those victims and remember their families and we remember 
those first responders who put their lives in danger as well, I think 
we, today, need to resolve that we will never forgive those who 
perpetrated that attack and vow that we will continue to go after them.
  I want to associate myself with the remarks of the gentleman from 
Missouri, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, who understands 
quite clearly that if we walk away from our efforts in Afghanistan, the 
Taliban will once again be in control, providing safe haven for those 
who perpetrated these attacks.
  And while it's been now 8 years since that attack, our enemies are 
still out there, still attempting to injure Americans, kill Americans, 
both here and abroad.
  I think it's critically important that we, as a Nation, never forget 
what happened on 9/11 and vow what many of us believe is important: 
that our number one job is to provide safety and security to the 
American people.
  So I thank my colleagues for the resolution that's on the floor and 
honor those who gave their lives on 9/11 and think of their families 
and the first responders who continue to suffer today.
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to a member 
of our committee, the distinguished Member from New York, Mr. Engel.
  Mr. ENGEL. I thank the chairman for his yielding to me, and I rise in 
strong support of this resolution. And I want to reiterate some of the 
things I said before with Mr. Towns.
  When I go back to New York every week and look at the skyline of New 
York, it will never be the same. The World Trade Center is no longer 
there, and as much as that pains me, it pales in comparison to the fact 
that we lost nearly 3,000 people that day, and each and every one of 
those lives was precious.
  And what September 11 means to me, it means to me what the previous 
generation talked about December 7. President Roosevelt said during 
December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor, that was a day of infamy. Well, to us, 
September 11, 2001, will always be a day of infamy.
  But yet it was a day that showed the best in people as well as 
obviously the

[[Page 21258]]

worst in people. The terrorists who attacked us showed the worst in 
people. But the first responders and the people from all parts of the 
country who came to save people's lives and try to dig people out of 
the rubble, that's the best in people.
  I want to mention that the New York delegation has been fighting for 
a health bill which would ensure that those who were first responders 
and others who came as volunteers at the World Trade Center saving 
lives, that their health needs should be taken care of by this country, 
and there are people who live in all 50 States.
  So, Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate and mourn the lives that were lost 
at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon, and at Shanksville, 
Pennsylvania--and there were many people in my district who were 
killed, as there were in all districts in New York--we have to redouble 
our efforts to fight terrorism.
  But I want to say that I was very, very proud that day to be an 
American and proud to be a New Yorker because the way the people of New 
York responded was exemplary.
  So every day we hear more and more people who were lost at the World 
Trade Center. So I hope we can pass this unanimously.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Pence), the chairman of our Republican Conference.

                              {time}  1345

  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, let me rise in gratitude to the distinguished 
majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, and the minority leader, Mr. Boehner, for 
bringing this important resolution to the floor. Bringing a bipartisan 
resolution to the floor is perhaps the best way to commemorate the 
bipartisanship that followed the extraordinary events of 8 years ago 
this Friday.
  I was here on Capitol Hill that day as my colleagues were. It was 
just as pretty a day as it is today, and the shock and horror of the 
images on the television screens, the smoke rising from the Pentagon, 
still are with me today and informs my service in this building, as it 
does all of our colleagues.
  Let me say today's resolution is important because, as the Old Book 
says, we are to mourn with those who mourn and grieve with those who 
grieve. And we are also to pay the debts of honor and gratitude to 
those that are owed. This resolution today remembers those we lost that 
day, and this Nation should never forget the lives that were lost at 
the Pentagon, in the heart of our great City of New York, or in a field 
in Pennsylvania. So we remember them today, and we think of their 
families.
  We rise to pay a debt of gratitude to all those who rushed in when 
others were rushing out, who filled recruiting offices, who put on the 
uniform of the United States and went in and confronted this terror 
where it all began. As we grieve and as we mourn, as we remember and as 
we pay debts of gratitude, let us also resolve to continue to do all 
that we can to maintain that bipartisan commitment that began on that 
very day and continues to this day to make sure that our Nation and our 
soldiers and those who protect us at home and abroad have the resources 
that they need to get the job done and come home safe.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Ackerman) will control the remainder of the time.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege now to recognize the 
cosponsor, the main sponsor of the resolution, the majority leader of 
the House.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the distinguished chairman and gentleman from New 
York. I thank Mr. Pence for his remarks. On many days, this floor is a 
place for heated debate, and that is, of course, as it should be. That 
is what our Founders intended. But at this moment, as Mr. Pence, the 
chairman of the Republican Conference pointed out, and as I will point 
out as the majority leader on the Democratic side, there are no 
Democrats or Republicans on this floor because we join to remember and 
mourn the attack on America, not on Democrats or Republicans, but on 
America and on its values and on what it stands for throughout the 
world: freedom and justice.
  September 11, 2001, was a day of grief and of shock, of fear and of 
anger. But today it can and must be something more: a day to rededicate 
ourselves with memory and with service to the ideals that make our 
Nation great, as I said earlier, freedom, pluralism, equality, the rule 
of law, and justice. Those, no less than our buildings and our 
citizens, were the targets of the 9/11 terrorists.
  Though buildings crumbled and the dead are lost to us, it is in our 
power to see our ideals remain strong and unscathed.
  So on this eighth anniversary, along with the Republican leader, Mr. 
Boehner, I am proud to introduce this resolution marking September 11 
not only as a day of remembrance, but also a day of resolve.
  So many conflicting emotions marked this indelible day: grief for 
nearly 3,000 men, women and children murdered; heartfelt sympathy for 
those who loved and lost them; and an unspeakable pride in the first 
responders, firemen, policemen and medical personnel who served and, 
indeed, sacrificed on that day. Among the 3,000 are numbered 343 
firefighters, 37 port authority officers and 23 police officers who 
died serving their fellow citizens as they ran into danger's jaws, not 
away from.
  Alongside them in honor stand the passengers of the United Flight 93, 
ordinary Americans, who discovered their extraordinary heroism at a 
moment of crisis and who quite possibly saved this building, this 
Chamber, and the Capitol dome from ruin. It is my own view that that 
was the target of this third plane, to strike down that dome which here 
in America and throughout the world is a symbol of freedom, pluralism, 
justice and, yes, democracy.
  We also remember the sacrifices of our troops, not only those who 
lost their lives under our flag, but those who make the everyday 
sacrifice of separation from family and home. Not all of us are called 
to serve as heroically, but in hundreds of small acts of dedication to 
our communities, we can emulate their service in ways both large and 
small. That is our resolve today. And along with it, we resolve to take 
the lesson of our vulnerability to heart.
  We commit ourselves to defending America from whatever threats may 
confront it, with all of our military force, all of our diplomatic 
skill, and all the power of our moral example.
  Our lives are limited, but we have in our keeping the ideals and 
truths that have animated our Nation since its founding, and that, we 
trust, will outlive us, outlive all of us, to light the lives of our 
children and grandchildren, and as a great-grandfather, let me say for 
generations to come.
  They have lived through war, through economic crisis, and through the 
gravest attacks. Now, while they are in our keeping, let us defend 
them, serve them, live for them, and pass them down unharmed and 
undamaged.
  All that, my fellow colleagues, on behalf of the 300 million people 
who have sent 435 of us here to represent their views and their 
aspirations, their courage and their commitment. Let us again resolve 
today, may we hold it for tomorrow and every day thereafter.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. King), the ranking member of the Committee 
on Homeland Security, who lost so many of his constituents that day on 
9/11.
  Mr. KING of New York. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of this resolution today. 
And at the outset, let me commend the majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, and 
the Republican leader, Mr. Boehner, for introducing the resolution and 
showing the spirit of bipartisanship that is so essential.
  Mr. Speaker, September 11 is not just history. It is real. It is with 
us every day. As the ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, said, I lost 
approximately

[[Page 21259]]

150 friends, neighbors and constituents on September 11, and that is 
true of almost every Member of the downstate delegation from New York. 
In fact, I can't drive throughout my district without seeing sign after 
sign, street signs commemorating the police officers and firefighters 
who were killed on that day. So this was a real tragedy. It is a real 
tragedy that continues today in those families, with their friends and 
with their neighbors.
  It is also an ongoing threat against the United States of America. 
The attacks on September 11 do not end on September 11. The fact is we 
have an enemy of Islamic terrorism, al Qaeda, which threatens us 
throughout the world and, indeed, here in our own country. In New York 
alone, there have been attacks foiled against the Brooklyn Bridge, 
Herald Square, against Fort Dix in neighboring New Jersey, against the 
synagogues in Riverdale in the north Bronx. So these are issues. This 
is a threat which is ongoing and it is real. We always have to keep our 
defenses up.
  We have to thank the men and women of our Armed Forces who are 
fighting throughout the world, the men and women of our intelligence 
agencies, the men and women of the State and local police departments 
in New York, of the New York City Police Department, of the Nassau 
County Police Department, and of the Suffolk County Police Department. 
There are more than 1,000 police officers dedicated to fighting 
terrorism in counterterrorism units. And again, it is a daily, daily 
effort.
  As the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, I'm aware 
of many of the threats we have stopped, and we are realizing again how 
the enemy is never going to stop, and we can't let our guard down.
  Also, in the interests of bipartisanship, I believe we should give 
President Bush credit for setting up the international level of 
cooperation with so many countries throughout the world and also for 
breaking down barriers with their own intelligence agencies and 
requiring them to share information with local police departments. It 
is not because of luck we haven't been attacked in 8 years. On 
September 12, 2001, no one would have thought we would go 8 years 
without being attacked the way we were on that horrible day of 
September 11.
  Also, in the interest of bipartisanship, it is important for us, as 
Republicans, to stand with President Obama with his policy in 
Afghanistan, which is a continuation of efforts that we began against 
the Taliban and al Qaeda after the attacks of September 11. This issue 
of international terrorism is too important to allow us to be divided 
by partisan politics. We came together as a Nation on September 11 and 
the days after. It is important that we stay together.
  This, as President Kennedy said in 1961, is going to be a long 
twilight struggle. But we won that Cold War, and we're going to win 
this war. We are going to prevail if we stand together as one, stand 
together as a Nation and realize that our enemy is attempting to 
destroy us. But if we stand together as one with our allies and with 
our forces here in this country, we can never be defeated.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the resolution and commend 
the majority leader and the minority leader for their good work. We 
have before us an excellent memorial resolution. It is succinct and 
strong and truly expresses what I believe to be the position of the 
entire House.
  As we consider this resolution, I would suggest that every Member 
take a moment to close their eyes, if they are in their offices, turn 
off the chattering of the television or the importuning of their staff 
and try to think back to September 11, 2001. It really was 8 years ago.
  Remember how beautiful that day was. Perfect. A clear, crisp 
September day with a cloudless sky. Remember where you were when you 
heard that our Nation was under attack, when you first saw those awful 
images of the towers gushing black smoke and the Pentagon in flames. 
Remember the thousands of our fellow Americans who perished in the 
World Trade Center and at the Pentagon. Remember the inconceivable 
heroism of the first responders who rushed into the flames and the 
chaos in order to save others.
  Remember the defiant courage of the passengers on United Flight 93 
who lost their lives but probably saved the most glorious symbol of our 
democracy in the world, the U.S. Capitol, and many, many who were 
working here on that day. Remember our shock and fury. Remember our 
national unity and the feeling of common purpose. Remember how the 
whole world stood with us and shared our outrage and our agony.
  These memories are available to all of us if we take but that one 
moment. We all experienced these events, and all that's needed is to 
take a moment, to set aside a little bit of time and let it all come 
back. Why? Is it a morbid fascination with catastrophe? Is it merely to 
justify some policy or expenditure? I would suggest two other reasons.
  First, memory is what we owe to those who were so unjustly murdered. 
We cannot bring them back and we cannot give meaning to the horrific 
act that took them from us, but we can remember them as our fellow 
Americans, as people whose lives were connected to thousands of our 
fellow citizens who still mourn them to this very day.
  Second, I think we should take a moment to ponder the last 8 years. 
What have we done in response to that day? What have we learned? What 
do we still owe to those who died? And what we have used their deaths 
to justify? Have we made the world a safer place? Have we made our 
homeland more secure? Will the next generation of Americans face more 
or less danger because of our actions? Each of us will still have our 
own answers to those questions, just as each one of us remembers that 
awful day uniquely.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. I yield myself another 15 seconds.
  In this great Nation which gives each person complete freedom of 
thought, belief and expression, in which the governed choose who will 
govern them, the meaning of 9/11 and the consequences of that terrible, 
terrible, terrible day remain for us to decide, each man and woman for 
themselves. All it takes is that moment to remember.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the ranking member on the 
Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. I thank the gentlelady from Florida for 
yielding me this time.
  I would just like to say to my colleague, Mr. Ackerman, I really 
appreciate your remarks; I think they were right on the money.
  I've heard a lot of my colleagues talking about how we should 
remember those who died and sacrificed their lives on September 11, and 
I think that's fitting and proper; but one of the things that I don't 
want to ever happen again is a repeat of 9/11. And for the past 8 
years, we have not had another attack due in very large part to the 
Homeland Security people and to the CIA and to the FBI. We have 
intercepted information from terrorists and we've been able to prevent 
additional attacks because of the work they've done. And I think it is 
improper for us today, while we're remembering those who sacrificed 
their lives on that day, the firemen and the people on those planes, I 
think we would be remiss if we didn't think about the future and be 
concerned about that never happening again.
  Right now, the Justice Department of the United States is 
investigating the CIA. And those people have been involved in stopping 
terrorist activity by going after the terrorists and making them give 
us information that would stop an additional terrorist attack. Today 
they are under scrutiny, and some of them may be prosecuted for doing 
their job. I think that's improper.
  Everybody in America owes our intelligence agencies a debt of 
gratitude

[[Page 21260]]

and Homeland Security a debt of gratitude for protecting this country 
for the last 8 years. And if we don't want to see another 9/11--and 
none of us do, and there have been some prevented like the one in 
California that was going to take place--if we don't ever want to see 
that again, we must support the intelligence agencies who are stopping 
the terrorists. And right now, the attack that's taking place by the 
Justice Department on the CIA only discourages those who do their job 
to protect this country from doing their job.
  If you're a CIA agent today and you know the Justice Department is 
watching every single thing you do in trying to stop a terrorist 
attack, are you going to want to take the risk of being prosecuted 
because you're going after a terrorist to make him give you information 
that will stop another terrorist attack?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. We're demoralizing our intelligence agencies 
by doing this right now. It may be unintentional, I don't know, but we 
certainly should not be doing it. They were doing their job. If you 
don't agree with waterboarding, or whatever it was, okay, but that's 
something that's in the past. We shouldn't discourage our intelligence 
agencies from doing their jobs now. We want to protect every single 
American from another terrorist attack, and the way to do it is 
certainly not by attacking our intelligence people.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires).
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the resolution 
expressing the sense of the House regarding the terrorist attacks 
launched against the United States on September 11, 2001. As the 
district I represent sits across from downtown Manhattan, my 
constituents and I are faced with a constant visual reminder of that 
day's tragic events.
  As time passes, we must continue to commemorate this sad day. We will 
remember the innocent lives that were lost, the heroes that emerged 
from this disaster, and we will remember how this day forever changed 
our lives.
  As new generations grow older, we must pass on the lessons of this 
day and its significance to our country. For 8 years, we have mourned 
the lives lost, and we have worked at home and abroad to protect our 
great Nation, its people, and the ideals it represents.
  I am pleased to join my colleagues in remembering this significant 
day and recognize how it continues to affect all our lives. I thank my 
colleagues for introducing this resolution.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).
  Mr. McCAUL. I thank the gentlelady.
  Mr. Speaker, today we rise as Americans, first and foremost, to 
remember: to remember the victims of 9/11, the 3,000 Americans who were 
killed on that day; to remember the fallen heroes, the firefighters, 
the police officers who rescued so many lives and some who gave the 
ultimate sacrifice.
  I remember watching the television on 9/11 with my daughter as the 
second airplane flew into the building and she said, Daddy, why did 
that airplane fly into the building? And by the time the second one 
hit, we all knew that this was no accident; this was an intentional act 
of terrorism, an act of war against the United States.
  I was a counterterrorism prosecutor in the Justice Department. We saw 
many warning signs--the embassies in Africa, the USS Cole, 1993 World 
Trade Center, Ramzi Yousef, who almost brought the World Trade Center 
down that day--when they arrested him in Islamabad, many of you may not 
know this, but they found 12 baby dolls stuffed with chemical 
explosives that he intended to take on airplanes, part of the Bojinka 
plot to blow up 12 airplanes simultaneously.
  The evil genius, his uncle, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 
9/11, who to this day the information we obtained from him has saved 
American lives, the most chilling experience I've had as a Member of 
Congress was to see Khalid Sheikh Mohammed imprisoned down in 
Guantanamo, the man who was responsible for killing 3,000 Americans.
  As the 9/11 Commission said, the only way we will ultimately prevail 
in this twilight struggle is through good intelligence. We cannot tie 
the hands of the intelligence community. We cannot threaten them with 
prosecution. We cannot have a global justice policy that Mirandizes 
terrorists captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan when the first 
words we say to them is, You have the right to remain silent. How in 
the world will we get good intelligence with that kind of policy?
  And if I could close with an FBI quote before 9/11 that said, ``Some 
day someone will die and the public will not understand why we were not 
more effective at throwing every resource we had at certain problems, 
especially since the biggest threat to us now, Osama bin Laden, is now 
getting the most protection.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ross). The gentleman's time has expired.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. McCAUL of Texas. I thank the gentlelady.
  We will never forget that day. We can never make the same mistake 
again. We owe that to the victims and the heroes of 9/11. It is our 
most solemn obligation to first and foremost protect and defend the 
American people.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McMahon).
  Mr. McMAHON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Resolution 722 and to honor all those who were murdered or injured in 
the terrorist attacks of September 11.
  As we honor that day, we are reminded that on that day we saw the 
worst in humanity and the best in humanity. And let us focus on the 
best, because when I think of that day, I think of people like one of 
the more than 300 people from my district who lost their lives that 
day, like Stephen Siller, a devoted husband and father of five who 
served as a member of the New York City Fire Department.
  Stephen was on his way home from a tour of duty that ended at 9 
o'clock that morning when he was on the Verrazano Bridge and heard the 
call of what happened. He turned his private vehicle around and drove 
back to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, took all his gear out, put it on--
because of traffic he couldn't get through--ran back through that 
tunnel to the World Trade Center, where he joined his brothers from the 
fire department, and others, rescued tens of thousands, but they lost 
their lives.
  Each September since that day Stephen's family and the people of New 
York City honor his memory and bravery with a 5K race known as the 
``Tunnel to Towers'' race that retraces Stephen's steps. In addition, 
Stephen's memory lives on in the good works the family has done by 
building Stephen's House and Home for Orphans.
  So today I urge all of my colleagues and all Americans to not only 
honor those we lost, but to honor the bravery and spirit of countless 
people like Stephen Siller who made the ultimate sacrifice to save 
others.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), an esteemed member of 
the Committee on Appropriations who also lost constituents that day.
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding to me, and I 
rise in support of the resolution.
  Eight years have now passed since tragedy struck our Nation. In lower 
Manhattan, the fields of Pennsylvania, and across the river at the 
Pentagon more than 3,000 of our fellow Americans lost their lives. The 
events of that day remain indelibly etched in our collective memory.
  Of those lost, 700 of the victims came from New Jersey, many from my 
congressional district, and many more from New York, other States, and 
80 nations. For those of who us had this tragedy hit so close to home, 
I know that each September 11 brings with it a great deal of sorrow. 
Later this week,

[[Page 21261]]

all of us will have the honor of attending a number of 9/11 
remembrances, especially in New Jersey, the home of so many good people 
who died, as well as to honor those who sought to save them, our first 
responders.
  My constituents remember that day every day. That day dawned like 
most days in New Jersey, bright and clear; crowded train stations in 
the morning taking people across the Hudson to lower Manhattan, parking 
lots packed with cars as they are most mornings. That evening, however, 
the scene was far different; trains weren't full, cars remained 
unclaimed in parking lots, and many families were left wondering what 
had happened to their loved ones. A single day that changed how each of 
us would think for the rest of their lives.
  At one of those small train stations in Chatham there is a tree at 
whose base is a plaque inscribed: ``We shall never forget our friends 
and neighbors who rode the rails with us that morning but did not 
return with us that night.'' That remarkable poignant quotation. We 
will never forget those victims. We will never forget those who sought 
to save them at the Pentagon, in Pennsylvania, and in lower Manhattan. 
Their bravery will never be forgotten.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the 
gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman from 
New York and the distinguished gentlelady from Florida.
  This is a duty that we do not relish, but that we obligate ourselves 
to be able to be reminded of the lost souls of September 11, 2001. It 
changed the innocence of America, but yet we stood tall as we mourned 
with these families from far and wide that we are America that believes 
in justice and civil liberties and, yes, the Bill of Rights.
  The Homeland Security effort was born during that time. I began to 
serve on the Select Committee and now the Homeland Security Committee. 
The work we do every day should be silent work, but it is work to 
ensure that the Nation's airlines and airports, train stations and 
railroads and mass transit and everywhere we go protects the American 
people. It is a world that stands up against terrorism, but understands 
that America can be a friend.
  So today, as we come together as a Congress, as we did those few 
years ago and stood on the front steps singing ``God bless America,'' I 
rise today to tell those families we will never forget them. And it is 
our obligation to be diligent, to be responsive, and to be remembered.
  God bless America.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the H. Res. 722. The legacy 
of the events of September 11, 2001 still resonates today. We will 
never forget the harrowing experience of the loss of more than 3,000 
lives that marked this national tragedy. We will never forget the 
events of that day, nor those who paid the ultimate price. We will 
forever remember how the country suffered profound sadness, the likes 
of which we as a nation hope to never experience again.
  Mr. Speaker, I recall vividly the intense emotions evoked as the 
attacks unfolded. The nation watched in horror as two airliners crashed 
into the Twin Towers and brought down the World Trade Center. That 
horror intensified as we witnessed an attack on the Pentagon, and a 
crashed airplane in Pennsylvania. Horror turned to anger as it came to 
light that the attacks were the actions of hate-filled cowards who had 
no respect for human life. I remember too, that in the aftermath of 
these senseless attacks, we came together as a nation and with friends 
from around the world united in grief and sadness. That moment 
transformed our country and the world, as the resolve of our nation 
strengthened and our principles hardened.
  We remember the heroes from that day; those who ran into the danger, 
sacrificing themselves to save strangers. They were the brave 
firefighters, police officers, and civil servants who died in the 
service of protecting others. We remember the heroes from United Flight 
93 who overpowered the terrorists and gave their own lives to prevent 
the deaths of countless others. We hope that their families can take 
some small measure of comfort knowing that Americans have made a 
permanent place for those heroes in our hearts.
  In Houston, we mourned the loss of two of our own: Naval Petty 
Officer 3rd Class Daniel Martin Caballero and Army Lieutenant Colonel 
Karen Wagner. Twenty-one year old Petty Officer Caballero was an 
electronics technician who had a bright life ahead of him. Forty-year-
old Lt. Col. Wagner had a distinguished career as a medical personnel 
officer in the office of the Army surgeon general. Both lives were 
taken when United Flight 77 was steered into the Pentagon. Also 
Councilmember Toni Lawrence lost her dear sister to this horrible 
tragedy.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that we also pay tribute today to those who have 
fought the wars born from September 11. In the years since that tragic 
day, our country has fought ardently to eliminate the enemies who would 
work to perpetuate the culture of fear and violence born from 9/11.
  The men and women of the U.S. military prove daily that their 
commitment to protecting and defending our country is steadfast. Let us 
remember those who fought and died while serving the country, let us 
honor those who continue to fight, and let us pledge our unending 
support for our soldiers and their families.
  As a Senior Member of the Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security 
Committees, I believe that we must continue to honor the fallen by 
working to prevent needless deaths. In the years since September 11, 
2001, Congress has worked hard to make sure that such a tragedy will 
never happen again. In large part, we have taken heed of the advice of 
the 9/11 Commission and built a strong system to prevent future 
attacks.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise before this body to say that our work is not yet 
done. Our nation's rail and mass transit lines continue to be 
vulnerable. Millions of Americans rely on our rail and mass transit for 
transportation. Terrorist attacks in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2006 
indicate that transportation routes continue to be potential security 
threats. We must not let another tragedy occur. As Chair of the 
Transportation Security Subcommittee--we are working to increase 
America's security.
  Preventing terrorism at home begins with addressing terrorism abroad. 
We must engage nations that are susceptible to the influence of 
extremists and arm them with the tools to fight radicalism. That means 
increasing education, improving living conditions, and increasing the 
capacity to govern. The struggle against terrorism will be won in the 
hearts and minds of people around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all members to join me in supporting H. Res. 722. 
Let us remember this day and the tragedy that befell the nation by 
properly honoring the victims with our renewed commitment to America's 
security and Democracy.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. I rise in support of the resolution. It's important 
that we remember 9/11, those innocents who lost their lives, those who 
put their lives at risk while saving lives, and those who survived to 
grieve the loss of irreplaceable loved ones.
  We have a responsibility to remember 9/11. It would be good, too, for 
us to remember the course of action our Nation embarked upon as a 
consequence of 9/11. We have a right, a duty to defend ourselves, but 
in the name of 9/11 war was waged against the people of Iraq who had 
nothing to do with 9/11.
  At this point, let us remember our troops, too, and their sacrifices 
since 9/11, and the over 1 million innocent civilian casualties 
everywhere who also paid a price because of 9/11. We should never 
forget 9/11, and we should never forget the truth.
  In our grief, we know the truth is our ultimate defense. The truth is 
our security. It is the truth which sets us free and the truth which 
keeps us free. God bless America.

       Washington, Sept. 11, 2001.--America grieves this day for 
     the victims of these terrorist attacks, and for their 
     families and friends. Our prayers are with them and our 
     hearts go out to those who have endured unbearable loss 
     today. Our most hopeful thoughts are with those who have 
     risked their lives in heroic rescue efforts. In this grim 
     moment, we must be resolute in protecting the fabric of our 
     democracy and the individual freedoms that make America a 
     great nation. As we grieve, we cannot let terrorists win by 
     turning the United States into a national security state. We 
     cannot let their dialogue become our dialogue.
       America must remain calm because such calm is essential to 
     preserving our liberties. America must bring to justice those 
     responsible for these cowardly deeds. We must be cautious 
     about rolling back freedoms at home or placing blame in the 
     wrong place.
       America must continue to be a beacon of democracy for the 
     world. Let this sad moment cause all governments and all 
     people of

[[Page 21262]]

     good will around the world to unite and to move together to 
     challenge and uproot those who have destructive goals which 
     seek to create death and drive the world toward chaos. Now, 
     more than ever, America must continue to be a force for peace 
     in the world. We must not let the terrorists win.

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, could I request of the gentlewoman from 
Florida if she has the time and would be willing to lend us one of her 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Yes, we would be more than happy to do so. We were 
waiting to see if some of the speakers who had reserved time would show 
up; but since they are not here yet, we would be more than pleased to 
give you some of our time, 1 minute.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Thank you so much. And if someone shows up and you need 
the time, I would be happy to make a unanimous request that that be 
restored to you.
  Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to recognize the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) for 1\3/4\ minutes.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. PASCRELL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  I rise today as this Congress commemorates perhaps the most horrific 
day in our Nation's history, that day being September 11, 2001. So many 
of us in New Jersey and New York lost our friends, our loved ones, 
acquaintances and people we never met before.
  It's difficult to believe that it was almost 8 years to the day when 
our Nation was attacked by foreign terrorists and claimed almost 3,000 
lives, including 411 of our Nation's bravest first responders. As a 
Member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am proud of the steps that 
we have taken since that fateful day to make the American people safer, 
but our work obviously is far from complete. This is a mission we, as 
public servants, can never stop striving to achieve.
  I am also proud that earlier this year we passed the aptly named 
Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which will designate September 11 
as the first annual National Day of Service and Remembrance. On 
September 11, more so than any other day of the year, we should come 
together as Americans and find new ways to save our Nation, and 
hopefully that will spill over to the days after.
  So I say to all of you that many of the wounds of that fateful day 
will heal over time, but that we will never forget the heroism we 
witnessed, the lessons we learned, the redemption the American people 
earned through our own strength. And so we pray that this never happens 
again.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. I yield myself 10 seconds.
  We have no further additional Members, so if the gentlewoman would 
like to close we will wait on the Speaker if she chooses to close as 
well.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Do you need an additional minute? I think we only 
have how much time, Mr. Speaker?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Florida has 2 minutes 
remaining, and the gentleman from New York has 3 minutes remaining.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
  Mr. Speaker, the day after that horrific event, I was back in New 
York. I went to the piers where the people were waiting to claim bodies 
and hear of missing loved ones.
  There was a gentleman before this huge wall where people had posted 
pictures of relatives that were missing. And there was one gentleman 
standing there--it was close to midnight--all by himself, in 
traditional Orthodox Jewish garb, with a long black coat and large 
black-brimmed hat standing in front of a picture of someone who looked 
remarkably like him.
  And he just stood there stone-faced. And I just went over and stood 
next to him as one of the firemen called him to my attention. And he 
said, without turning away from the picture that he was looking at on 
the wall, the missing person, he said, That was my brother. He is gone. 
He called me moments before the building collapsed. He said he knew 
what was happening, but he would not leave his workplace.
  He worked in a station next to a young man from Puerto Rico who was 
sitting in a wheelchair and who was frightened. And he said, My brother 
told me I will not let him stay here to die alone. And they were 
holding hands when his brother hung up the phone. That was the kind of 
bravery we saw from Americans, all kinds of Americans on that fateful 
day.
  Let us remember them and the sacrifice they made.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  I thank my good friend from New York and our chairman, Mr. Berman, 
and Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Boehner for this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, when we talk about the 9/11 attacks on our Nation, we 
must also recall that it was an attack on our way of life. It was an 
attack on what we stand for, on what we represent. What is it that we 
represent? Freedom, democracy, liberty.
  These are the values that distinguish our Nation, our people, from 
our attackers, the belief in freedom, the belief in democracy, the 
belief in liberty. And as we recall this somber anniversary of this 
resolution before us, let us honor the memory of those whom we lost, 
the murdered, for it was a crime, and the heroism of our public 
servants, our first responders, our ordinary fellow citizens who were 
so extraordinary that day, who discovered the extraordinary courage of 
self-sacrifice on behalf of their fellow citizens, some of whom they 
had never met, including many of us in this building.
  And let us resolve that 9/11 will not just be an anniversary that we 
commemorate with an interesting and touching ceremony, but that 9/11 is 
really a symbol of what America is about, how we dealt with that 
struggle, how we dealt with that devastation, how we dealt with that 
sorrow and what we said we would do as a people, that we would not let 
this attack go unanswered.
  And to frame the events of that day as they should be framed, as 
freedom versus oppression, as tolerance versus hatred, as incitement 
versus understanding. And this is what we fight for to this day: for 
freedom, for tolerance, to make sure that we can just not recall the 
days of 9/11, but also honor the memory and what they stood for.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield for the purpose of a 
unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. 
Clarke).
  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to add my voice to those who have 
spoken in support of this bipartisan 9/11 resolution, H. Res. 722.
  Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise in support of the bipartisan 9-11 
Resolution, H. Res 722, which recognizes September 11 as both a day to 
mourn and remember those that were taken from us, and a day for the 
people of the United States to recommit to the Nation and to each 
other.
  Today, Congress pauses to reflect on the life and legacy of the men 
and women whose lives were tragically altered or cut short as a result 
of the violent attacks on 9-11-01.
  I began my public life as a member of the New York City Council 
shortly after the attacks of September 11th changed America's 
perception on the world. From that first day, I have dedicated myself 
to the issues of security and preparedness.
  As the only New York City member of the House Committee on Homeland 
Security, I am humbled at the opportunity to commemorate this day with 
my colleagues and victims' families.
  We will never forget that almost 3,000 lives were lost, including 343 
firefighters and 23 police officers, on that day. Their contributions 
and legacies will forever be honored and revered.
  I salute the many World Trade Center and Pentagon workers who may not 
have held a corner office with their names on the door, but were an 
integral part of our thriving economy and communities.
  I salute the mothers, teachers, doctors, flight crews and other 
valuable members of our society that were taken from us on that tragic 
day.
  As we prepare to commemorate that tragic day with several victims' 
families on the front steps of the U.S. Capitol, I offer my prayers to 
all 9-11 families and the survivors whose lives are forever changed.

[[Page 21263]]

  I especially send my condolences to the parents and families of the 
children who's precious lives were tragically taken from us on that 
fateful day.
  The collective sacrifices, strength, and compassion of these 
individuals and all Americans, as well as the fallen soldiers that we 
have lost in the fight against terror and the families they've left 
behind--all of whom represent diverse backgrounds and beliefs--remind 
us that our national resiliency lies within our ability to come 
together as a nation for the greater good of our society.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. I thank the distinguished gentlelady from Florida for 
her cooperation in this bipartisan effort and expression of the House.
  I yield the balance of our time, 1 minute, to the distinguished 
Speaker of the House to close the debate, Ms. Pelosi.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank Congressman 
Ackerman and Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen for bringing this opportunity 
to the floor to speak about the unspeakable horror of 9/11.
  When we talk about this subject, Mr. Speaker, we are treading on 
sacred ground, a ground we thought we would never see in our country.
  But as Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen said, it has defined us, how we 
dealt with it, and how we carry on afterward. One of the goals of 
terrorists is to instill fear. So not only do they take lives and 
destroy a community, try to destroy a community, they also instill fear 
as to how we will act upon the challenges that we have as we go 
forward. That did not happen with 9/11.
  The American people rallied in a way that removed all doubt that we 
would not suffer that consequence. But it's the families of 9/11 who 
made the biggest sacrifice, that's self-evident. But when they turned 
their grief into action, working with the 9/11 Commission to help 
ensure that this doesn't happen again, they did a great service to our 
country.
  In just a few moments, in the Capitol, we will unveil a marker of 
bravery to recall the sacrifice, in particular of the men and women on 
Flight 93 who died in rural Pennsylvania. We gather to honor their 
families, who will be with us. This is the day that they have chosen 
for that and to ensure that we never forget their heroic deeds, their 
bravery and the sacrifices of those individuals. They made a decision 
in that flight not to fly into Washington, D.C., perhaps into this 
Capitol.
  Again, it is to those families that we owe so much, whether it was in 
rural Pennsylvania, in the Pentagon, or in New York at the Twin Towers.
  Following that ceremony, we will go to Statuary Hall where leaders of 
both parties in both Houses of Congress will gather to recognize the 
heroes of 9/11, the firefighters and first responders, the rescue 
workers and all who perished on Flight 93, in the Pentagon and the 
World Trade Center on that terrible morning. It is in their names that 
we mark this day.
  It is in memory of those who died that we, in the words of this 
resolution, renew our devotion to the universal ideals that make this 
Nation great: freedom, pluralism, equality and the rule of law. It is 
their voices that remind us not just of the images of destruction and 
despair, but of the unity we all felt in the wake of the attacks and of 
our common humanity and shared strength, of our potential to move 
forward as one community, one Nation. When we take inspiration from the 
memories of the heroes of 9/11, may this resolution rekindle a spirit 
of service and sacrifice among all Americans.
  May God continue to bless the United States of America.
  Mr. TEAGUE. Mr. Speaker, like all Americans I still mourn the 
innocent lives that were lost on September 11, 2001. Though I was not 
in Washington, DC or New York City on that day, I am often reminded of 
the attacks when I pass the Pentagon on my way to the Capitol. And when 
I think of the thousands of family members that lost a loved one on 
that day, I admit that it makes me want to visit with my own children a 
little more often, play with my grandchildren a little longer and hold 
my wife a little closer.
  On September 11th, 2001, America was exposed to a darker side of the 
human condition--one that is so fueled by hate and fear that it would 
drive individuals to come to a foreign land and dedicate themselves to 
studying the most efficient way to murder innocent civilians.
  The 9/11 attacks were cowardly actions by desperate, evil men, but, 
like we've seen on other tragic days in our Nation's history, the 
attacks also shined a light on American bravery and heroism.
  Our firefighters and other first-responders ran into buildings that 
were about to collapse, sometimes sacrificing their own lives to save 
others. The passengers of United Flight 93 became true citizen-soldiers 
when they chose to take on the hijackers and sacrifice themselves to 
save others, demonstrating to the world what makes us strong and good 
as a country.
  These brave people showed that even in one of the darkest hours in 
our history, Americans were resolute, resilient and committed to see 
the light of our liberty burn steady and bright.
  Let us remember that while these horrendous acts may have toppled 
over buildings and taken the lives of innocent Americans, they neither 
destroyed our Republic nor the principles upon which our country was 
built.
  Eight years after that dark day, it is appropriate for us to take 
time to remember those that lost their lives in these attacks and those 
who gave their lives so that others would live. And it is equally 
important for us to acknowledge that despite these tragic events 
America has remained free, strong and committed to liberty.
  Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, this week we commemorate 
the eighth anniversary of the most devastating attack on our country 
since Pearl Harbor. The planes which destroyed the World Trade Center 
towers took off from Boston. The planes carried 142 passengers and crew 
members, many of them were our neighbors, and the catastrophe almost 
200 miles south in Manhattan was also a catastrophe for victims' 
families and their loved ones and friends in communities across 
Massachusetts.
  The September 11th attacks demonstrated that America's very 
strengths--its technology and its open society--could be turned into 
weapons and used against us. We have spent much of the past eight years 
trying to reduce the opportunities for terrorists to exploit our 
vulnerabilities; while we can claim significant achievements we must 
admit that the job is not done.
  Two years ago, the Democratic Congress passed legislation to 
implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, designating it as 
our top priority--H.R. 1. But much work to implement the bill's 
provisions and other needed homeland security upgrades is still needed, 
and it is now up to the Obama Administration to end the years of 
delays, obstruction and catering to industry's demands that was 
characteristic of the Bush Administration's homeland security policy.
  I authored a provision in the 9/11 law to require the screening, 
within three years, of all the cargo carried on passenger planes to a 
level of security commensurate with the level of security applied to 
passengers' checked bags. The statutory deadline is less than one year 
from now, in August 2010. I am concerned that the system developed by 
the previous administration to implement the 100 percent screening 
requirement is facing significant challenges and must be quickly 
remedied by this Administration in order to comply with the law.
  A requirement that I helped to insert into the 9/11 law contains a 
mandate to scan all inbound maritime cargo at its point of origin by 
2012, unless the Department of Homeland Security chooses to extend the 
deadline for a particular port or group of ports because of 
technological, economic or other barriers. I believe that Congress 
included sufficient flexibility in the statutory requirements to 
address any delays in meeting the 2012 statutory deadline for maritime 
scanning that may have been caused as a result of inaction by the last 
Administration, and now the Obama Administration is tasked with 
implementing this vital security safeguard.
  Since 9/11, Congress has enacted legislation to secure the aviation, 
maritime, rail, mass transit, nuclear energy and other sectors. But 
what we have yet to do is act on comprehensive legislation to secure 
the facilities that make or store dangerous chemicals. Instead, we have 
relied on the incomplete, inadequate and loophole-ridden legislative 
language that was inserted into a 2007 Appropriations bill behind 
closed doors that amounted to little more than a long run-on sentence. 
The Energy and Environment Subcommittee which I chair will soon act on 
comprehensive chemical security legislation that will close the 
loopholes in part by requiring each high-risk facility to assess 
whether it could use safer processes or technologies and provide 
authority to ensure that the highest-risk facilities do so if it is 
economically and technologically possible.

[[Page 21264]]

  The upcoming anniversary is a time for reflection and commemoration. 
But it is also an opportunity to review the progress we have made 
towards improving the security of all Americans.
  On this 8th anniversary of a terrible tragedy, I am taking time to 
both remember those who we lost and to rededicate myself to ensuring 
that such a tragedy will never again be allowed to occur.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, as an American and Representative 
of the 9th Congressional District of Texas I would like to express my 
support for H. Res. 722, which recognizes the victims and heroes of the 
terrorist attacks launched against the United States on September 11, 
2001.
  This year commemorates the eighth anniversary of 9/11, which lives on 
in the hearts and minds of Americans as we mourn and remember the lives 
lost in that tragedy. On September 11, we will honor the memory of the 
3,000 men, women, and children who were taken from us, pay homage to 
the countless lives who have died defending our freedom, and service 
men and women currently fighting in combat zones across the world.
  Moreover, on this September 11, Americans will for the first time 
honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 by serving their neighbors and 
communities in the first National Day of Service and Remembrance. This 
federally designated day was created as a part of bipartisan 
legislation in the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which was 
signed into law by President Obama on April 21, 2009. In the spirit of 
unity and compassion, Americans everywhere will join the President and 
Mrs. Obama in service projects at schools, hospitals, and communities.
  As we honor the sacrifices of our fellow Americans through our own 
service in communities across the nation, let us renew our devotion to 
the universal ideals that make our Nation great: freedom, equality, and 
democracy. On September 11, 2009, let us forget our differences and 
embrace our common heritage as one people, the American people. I urge 
my colleagues to support H. Res. 722.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, this Friday, we come together as a 
Nation once again to commemorate those who perished on September 11, 
2001, and to renew our commitment to each other and to our Nation's 
ideals of tolerance and freedom. Though the years have passed, the 
memory of that day and of the heroism displayed by rescue workers and 
ordinary Americans is not diminished.
  I hope you will join me in a day of reflection, as we contemplate how 
each of us can draw strength from this tragedy and help create the 
America we'd like to see. Our Nation's strength lies in the ability to 
welcome dissent, but it is my hope that this day can remind us of our 
common humanity: that we are more joined than divided. And although we 
may disagree on the means for how to deal with climate change, health 
care, and economic recovery, to name but a few of our challenges, these 
are priorities for us all.
  Let us remember this day, and let us pledge to work harder and more 
constructively to build a stronger America.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support of H. Res. 722, which marks the eighth anniversary of September 
11, 2001 and solemnly recognizes the lives lost and the sacrifices made 
on that day.
  I want to commend Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Boehner for bringing this 
bipartisan resolution to the floor.
  None of us will ever forget where we were and what we were doing on 
the morning of September 11, 2001. The images of the planes hitting the 
World Trade Center towers, the smoke rising above the Pentagon, and the 
scattered remnants of flight 93 in that Shanksville, Pennsylvania field 
will forever be seared in our Nation's consciousness.
  This resolution affirms that we continue to mourn the innocent loss 
of life that occurred that horrific morning and extend our deepest 
sympathies and prayers to family and friends of the victims. It also 
pays tribute to the heroism of the first responders, law enforcement 
personnel, and ordinary citizens who rushed to the aid of their fellow 
Americans on that darkest of days.
  With this resolution, the House not only recognizes the extraordinary 
heroism of that day but acknowledges the significant strides we have 
made as a Nation to improve information sharing, strengthen our 
borders, and enhance our resilience. As a result, the United States is 
more secure today than it was on September 11, 2001. However, we must 
not lose sight of what still needs to be done or grow complacent about 
security. The nature of the terrorist threat demands vigilance at all 
levels of government and in our communities.
  Mr. Speaker, this anniversary represents an opportunity to rededicate 
ourselves to these efforts and H. Res. 722 is a fitting remembrance of 
how September 11 changed the course of our Nation's history.
  Let us never forget the lives that were lost and the lessons that 
were learned that day.
  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise on the eighth anniversary of 
September 11th to commemorate this momentous day in American history. 
My heart goes out to the thousands of innocent people who were taken 
from their loved ones and fellow citizens, and I am mindful of the many 
sacrifices made by the members of our armed forces and their families 
as they stand in harm's way to protect our great nation.
  The victims of the September 11th attacks were a microcosm of 
America. In the Twin Towers, on the hijacked planes, at the Pentagon, 
there were mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, 
friends; there were millionaire bond traders and minimum wage busboys; 
there were service men and women, police officers and firefighters; 
there were people of every race and religion, from dozens of countries, 
all with their own dreams and disappointments; all bound by an 
invisible thread . . . our common humanity. And we are forever bound to 
them, and to each other.
  September 11th, 2001 was one of our nation's darkest days. But it 
illuminated some simple and important truths . . . that it means 
something special to be an American--something more than the 
happenstance of where you were born. It relates to the unending quest 
on the part of ``we the people'' to ``form a more perfect union'' and 
to a concept of the common good. Being an American means having a 
commitment to our collective well-being.
  In memory of all those who perished on September 11th, in respect to 
the survivors, in gratitude to the rescuers, and for the sake of 
ourselves and our posterity, I recall the words of President Kennedy: 
``Let us not be blind to our differences--but let us also direct 
attention to our common interests and to the means by which those 
differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, 
at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the 
final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this 
small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our 
children's future. And we are all mortal.''
  Mr. Speaker, during the vote on H. Res. 722, a resolution expressing 
the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the terrorist 
attacks launched against the U.S. on September 11th, 2001, I was absent 
from the House. I want my colleagues and constituents of the 2nd 
District of Wisconsin to know that I intended to vote yes on this 
resolution. I am grateful to my colleagues, Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Boehner, 
for their work in seeing it passed.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 722.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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