Expressing Sense of the House on Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks Launched Against United States on September 11, 2001

EXPRESSING SENSE OF THE HOUSE ON ANNIVERSARY OF TERRORIST ATTACKS LAUNCHED AGAINST UNITED STATES ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 -- (Extensions of Remarks - September 13, 2004)

Ms. DELAURO. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday our nation will stop and reflect on the terrible events that occurred three years ago on that day. Each of us will remember in vivid detail where we were and what we were doing when we realized that America had come under murderous attack by cowardly terrorists. We will remember the way that firemen and policemen rushed into burning buildings to save lives. We will remember the heroism of the passengers and crew of Flight 93. We will remember the 3,000 friends, family and loved ones who died that day, and we will pay a debt of thanks to the men and women of our military who continue the fight against terrorism in far off places.

And I, for one, Mr. Speaker, will recall the spirit of bipartisanship that pervaded Washington in the days that followed-how Members of Congress stood together on the steps of the Capitol, singing "God Bless America" in one strong voice. As we consider the events of that day, I urge my colleagues to recapture that spirit and move quickly to adopt the reforms of the September 11th Commission. By doing so, we will improve our intelligence gathering capabilities, improve coordination between government agencies and strengthen Congressional oversight of the intelligence community.

As Americans stop to consider how much the world has changed in these three years, it is imperative that the Congress do all that it can to ensure that our government changes with the world. Every day that goes by without action to embrace the reforms of the Commission is a day that our ability to prevent another 9/11 is limited.