Federal News Service - House democratic Caucus Media Availability - Transcript

Federal News Service

HEADLINE: HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS MEDIA AVAILABILITY

SUBJECT: 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS

PARTICIPANTS: HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI (D-CA); REP. STENY HOYER (D-MD); REP. JANE HARMAN (D-CA); REP. JIM TURNER (D-TX) REP. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D-NJ); REP. JAMES CLYBURN (D-SC)

LOCATION: HOUSE RADIO/TV GALLERY, THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON, D.C.

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REP. HOYER: Thank you very much.

I hope every American takes the opportunity to read this 9/11 commission report. Now it's a long report. Perhaps they don't have to read every page. But it is a compelling statement of the-as Lee Hamilton said today, the transnational threat that we face in America today-the gravest threat that we have faced, perhaps, since World War II. And it is a worldwide threat.

It therefore requires the same kind of energy and focus and vision that was brought to fighting that war, the Second World War.

I want to congratulate Leader Pelosi. Upon the commission's report being issued, within hours Leader Pelosi, unlike some others, said that we needed to address it immediately, effectively, and as completely as possible.

To do less would be not performing our duty as our constituents expect us to do.

I asked Mr. Hamilton-who, by the way, attributed the unanimity within the commission to Governor Kean. And Governor Kean referred to Lee Hamilton as being one of the finest people with whom he'd ever worked in government or in the private sector. It is that kind of bipartisanship and nonpartisanship that is called for as we address on behalf of the American people the safety of our homeland and the defeat of an enemy obviously dedicated to our destruction.

I asked Mr. Hamilton, are there things that the president can now do or could have done over the last 36 months that are included in your report that have not been done. He answered yes. He said, in fact, most of the findings and recommendations included in the commission report he believed could be implemented by the executive.

There were three things in particular, he said, that could not be: the creation of the national center, the creation of the national director, and the budget authority issue, and oversight issue. That needed to be addressed by the Congress. The fact that we are here today, the fact that we have called members back from all over the country to come to Washington to be briefed with a very sobering and compelling presentation by Governor Kean and Mr. Hamilton and by others, indicates how seriously we view the necessity for us to act quickly.

I want to congratulate Ms. Harman and Mr. Turner, the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee and the ranking member of Homeland Security, as well as Mr. Skelton and Mr. Murtha, who have been addressing the need to-need for us to respond quickly. I am hopeful that the administration will respond to the letter that I have joined with our leader and with our chairman of the caucus, vice chairman of the caucus in urging a session to come back so that this bill can be introduced. I have cosponsored it with the leader.

It needs to be reviewed as quickly as possible. The threat is real. The threat is immediate. The threat is grave. We have a responsibility and a duty to act and not delay. I join with the leader and with my colleagues here in urging us to do just that.PELOSI/DEM-CAUCUS-NINE ONE ONE COM. PAGE 10 08/10/2002 .STX

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REP. PELOSI: Well, first of all, it isn't partisan squabbling. This is a bipartisan report that we invite the speaker to join us in introducing. There is no room for politics in this; 9/11 is sacred and hallowed ground. We owe the families answers, and we owe a reduction of risk to the American people, and that's why we want to start. If you don't have a piece of legislation, you can never begin. Welcome to the Congress of the United States. We can kick this can down the road for a long, long time.

Now, I fully respect the questions that were raised by the distinguished senators, and many of our colleagues have similar questions. But we're saying let us begin. And while having hearings, or supposedly we're having hearings, why have them just be a conversation? Why can't they be a mark-up of a bill? And why can't we have it be as open as possible and transparent as possible so the American people can see that?

Certainly those with turf involved-TTIC, all that you mentioned-will have their own view of it. But this is a bipartisan, comprehensive approach to it which we can review-Congress can work its will on in full view of the public so that what is in there will either be received or not, but the public will know why.

Congresswoman Harman?

REP. HOYER: Can I --

REP. PELOSI: And Steny?

REP. HOYER: Can I make a comment here?

REP. PELOSI: You want to go first? Go first.

REP. HOYER: I want to make a comment because it's an important question. If this is simply a partisan skirmish, then it's without, I think, particular importance for the American people. On the other hand, there were five Republicans, five Democrats unanimous, both in their recommendations and unanimous in the time frame in which we think-which they think we ought to act, which was reflected by Mr. Hamilton's comments, "acting now."

We have six weeks; we haven't done a lot in this Congress.

We have some important things left to do. The appropriation bills are still out there. We have an election. So we have very little time left. To squander five weeks, we believe, is inconsistent with the bipartisan-Governor Kean and all four of his Republican colleagues as well as the Democratic colleagues-recommendation that we act and we act promptly.

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REP. PELOSI: No, it's a very big practical change, and you of all people understand how Congress works. If Congress is in session, the legislation can be put in the hopper, and then the committee can act upon it. In fact, I would hope that the speaker would put together a special committee to mark up the bill so it doesn't have to be referred to so many committees. So the difference between having a bill to mark up in committee and no bill to mark up in committee is the difference in changing public policy, making the American people safer, and giving some comfort to the families of those who lost their loved ones in 9/11.

You have a question?

REP. HOYER: Can I make a comment on that? Some of you who have joined me in the (Pen and Pad ?) know this Congress has met fewer days than any Congress in recent memory. I've pointed out initially that we don't have many days left until we break for the election. And we need to break for the election, even if it's as late as October 20th. We have not passed most-almost all of the appropriation bills. They need to be passed, or something that continues government and operation needs to be passed. Therefore, there are very few days remaining. What those Republicans who are accusing this of being a political stunt, is they're not looking at the calendar. They're not looking at the days left for us to consider serious matters of concern to the safety of the American public and to the operations of their government. Therefore, if we do not use these days, we will not regain them, and we will delay doing what the commission unanimously believes is necessary to do promptly.

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Q Excuse me. You mentioned over a hundred attending. How many exactly, or more or less exactly?

REP. PELOSI: It's very cozy in there and packed and jammed. I haven't counted, but every seat is filled and then some. So we have over a hundred. I don't know exact --

REP. HOYER: It's also difficult, because they're in and out.

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REP. PELOSI: Well, because the president says no-I mean, for three years the president's been saying no. Nine-11 happened in 2001. We'll soon be observing the third-year anniversary of that tragedy in our country. Many of these recommendations could have been put into effect since then. The question is not whether we should have a special session. The question is, why hasn't it happened in the last three years, as our distinguished whip said earlier.

So let's not try-find reasons why we should stay home, we shouldn't come here, and we shouldn't do this and this. We have a responsibility. We have a job to do. The question is, why aren't we here doing it? The question is not why are you here to do it.

And so we would hope that by the time we observe the three-year anniversary, we can have something to show for the concern and the ideas that we have and that the 9/11 commission has given us a bipartisan, unanimous road map to cover.

Yes, sir?

Q Ms. Pelosi --

REP. HOYER: (Helen ?), also if I can add, some of us don't believe because the president says no that that's dispositive of the issue.

REP. PELOSI: (Chuckles.)

REP. HOYER: We have a responsibility of our own --

REP. PELOSI: That's right.

REP. HOYER: -- and we are calling for this session because we think it's important for the American people.

REP. CLYBURN: And I think that's been-if I may, I think that's been demonstrated time and time again. The president first said no to Homeland Security, but we now have it.

REP. PELOSI: And it-right.

REP. CLYBURN: And then the president said no to the commission itself, and thanks to our leader we now have it. And because he is saying no now does not mean our leader won't get it.

REP. HOYER: And he said no and the speaker said no to the extension of the deadline for this commission, and Governor Kean today said if that extension had not been granted, they could not have done their work.

REP. PELOSI: Yeah.

REP. CLYBURN: Absolutely.

REP. PELOSI: And may I just say also --

REP. HOYER: And, Ms. Pelosi, I want to say-she can't say this, but the leader --

Q Step to the mike, please.

REP. HOYER: -- the leader kept saying that we need to extend. Mr. Hastert said no. The president said, well, he was for extending it, but didn't do anything. And we kept asking for the extension. And finally the extension was granted and, as I said, Governor Kean said but for that extension they couldn't have done their job. So when you ask, why do we ask to continue to ask? Because we believe it's the right thing to do.

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REP. PELOSI: Thank you very much, Congresswoman Harman. That is the point. It isn't about subterfuge, it isn't about distraction, it isn't about division; it's about joining together to pass the bipartisan unanimous report of the committee.

And I just want to clear up one thing. We didn't put this legislation together, Leg Counsel did, right from this book. So this is something that could also in this House be a bipartisan-and in this Congress a bipartisan legislation. We invite the Republican leadership and members to join us in that.

We thank all of you for being with us. And I commend my colleagues for their exceptional leadership.

We have to get back for our colleagues who have come from all across the country to focus on the important issue of national security. Thank you very much.

REP. HOYER: The over 100 (that we're meeting ?). (Laughter.)