[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
[April 13, 1996]
[Pages 579-581]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's Radio Address
April 13, 1996

    Good morning. This week, on April the 19th, we mark one of America's 
saddest anniversaries, the first anniversary of the bombing of the 
Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. It is when

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the American spirit is at its best that we find renewal in even the most 
desolate of our tragedies. And that is what the people of Oklahoma City 
have managed somehow to do.
    They have shown us that while we cannot guarantee our children a 
world free of madmen, we can promise them that we will always build and 
rebuild safe places to sustain and nurture their new lives. They have 
reminded us that while we can never call back the souls that were torn 
from us, we can prove that the forces of hatred and division are no 
match for the goodness in the human spirit.
    Oklahoma City reminds us of something else, that we must give 
nothing less than everything we have in the fight against terrorism in 
our country and around the world, for the forces that are sparking so 
much of the progress we see today--lightning-fast technology, easier 
travel, open borders--these forces also make it easier for people with a 
grudge or a cause to launch a terrorist attack against innocent people.
    In this new era, fighting terrorism must be a top law enforcement 
and national security priority for the United States. On our own and 
with our allies, we have put in place strong sanctions against states 
that sponsor terrorism. We have improved our cooperation with other 
nations to deter terrorists before they act, to capture them when they 
do, and to see to it that they are brought to justice. We've increased 
funding, personnel, and training for our own law enforcement agencies to 
deal with terrorists.
    But we must do even more. That is why, more than a year ago, I sent 
to Congress legislation that would strengthen our ability to 
investigate, prosecute, and punish terrorist activity. After Oklahoma 
City, I made it even stronger. My efforts were guided by three firm 
goals: first, to protect American lives without infringing on American 
rights; second, to give the FBI and other law enforcement officials the 
tools they have asked for to do the job; and third, to make sure 
terrorists are barred from this country.
    In the wake of Oklahoma City, Congress promised to send me the bill 
6 weeks after the tragic bombing. And yet, unbelievably, almost an 
entire year has passed, and Congress still has not managed to send me 
strong antiterrorism legislation. There is simply no excuse for this 
foot-dragging. This bill should have been law a long time ago.
    So I urge Congress: Make it happen. Pass antiterrorism legislation 
now. In the name of the children and all the people of Oklahoma City, I 
say to Congress, do not let another day go by in which America does not 
have the tools it needs to fight terrorism. It's essential that Congress 
send me the right antiterrorism legislation, legislation that finally 
will give law enforcement the upper hand.
    When I met with leaders of the congressional majority shortly after 
the bombing, they assured me that Congress would give the American 
people strong antiterrorism legislation. They haven't. While the Senate 
passed a solid bill, the House absolutely gutted it. Under pressure from 
the Washington gun lobby, House Republicans took that bill apart piece 
by piece. Well, now it's time they put it back together. America cannot 
afford to settle for a fake antiterrorism bill. We need the real thing. 
And on my watch, I'm determined to get it.
    This is what real antiterrorism should have: First, we need explicit 
authority to prevent terrorist groups like Hamas from raising money in 
the United States for their dirty deeds. Second, we need authority to 
deport quickly foreigners who abuse our hospitality by supporting 
terrorist activities away from or within our shores. Second, we need to 
give law enforcement officials the ability to use high-tech surveillance 
and other investigative tools to keep up with stealthy, fast-moving 
terrorists.
    And we need a provision to mark chemically the explosive materials 
terrorists use to build their deadly bombs. If we know where the 
explosives come from, we have an edge in tracking down the criminals who 
use them. These taggants work. In fact, when they were being tested just 
a few years ago, they helped us to catch a man who had killed someone 
with a car bomb. Law enforcement officials believe that of the more than 
13,000 bombing crimes in the last 5 years, as many as 30 percent could 
have been solved faster with taggants.
    Yet the Republicans in Congress continue to oppose this commonsense 
initiative. Why? Because the Washington gun lobby told them to. One 
Republican Congressman had another reason, an unbelievable one. He 
actually told his own committee chairman, ``I trust Hamas more than my 
own Government.'' Well, I don't. And I don't think most Americans or 
most Members of Congress in either party do.

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    I urge Congress to change course. Put the national interest before 
the special interests. Give law enforcement the ability to trace these 
explosives-using bombs that kill Americans.
    We know acts of terror are no match for the human spirit. In the 
last year, the people of Oklahoma City have proved this. We know we can 
heal from terrorism. But now we must do even more to stop it before it 
happens. A strong antiterrorism bill will help us to do just that. And 
that's why it must be the law of the land.
    Thanks for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 6:05 p.m. on April 12 in the Roosevelt 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 13.