Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I wish to join with my colleagues in support of today's vote on S. 2040, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).
Next week, our nation will mark the 15th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The United States suffered an immeasurable tragedy that day, but for the victims and their families, their loss was even more profound. Their lives were irrevocably changed that day, and their road to healing has been made all the more difficult by the questions that remain unanswered and by the justice that has yet to be served.
S. 2040, along with its House companion bill H.R. 3815, of which I am a proud cosponsor, would go a long way in providing answers to the victims and their families. In pursuing civil claims against terrorists, as well as those who aided and abetted them, we will be able to ensure greater transparency. The process of trying civil suits in a court of law would bring to light new evidence about how those events came about including identifying the money flows to the hijackers, as well as any connections the perpetrators had to foreign government officials. Ultimately, it will help to provide a more complete story of the September 11th attacks, not only of what happened that day, but also of what happened in the days leading up to them.
I have worked over the last number of years with my colleagues Congressman Walter Jones and Congressman Thomas Massie in calling for the declassification of the 28 pages of the Joint Congressional Inquiry into Intelligence Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001. In doing so, I have also had the honor and privilege of getting to know some of the families who lost loved ones during the attacks. These families need and deserve answers and justice. Their representatives in Congress should be working tirelessly to give them that.
The release of the 28 pages earlier this summer was an important first step in getting answers for the families. Passing JASTA today, and getting it enacted, would be an equally important next step towards getting justice for the victims, survivors and their families.
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