Thanking the Continuity of Government Commission
THANKING THE CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I wish to also, in the brief time I have allotted, say a few words about a very important subject to our Government and to our Nation. I wish to say a few words about the importance of continuity of our Nation's Government.
Today, the Continuity of Government Commission, a joint project of the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute, is releasing a report to the Congress on this matter. I express my appreciation to the commission for their responsible and forthright assessment of needed constitutional reforms in this area. Their report will be an invaluable addition to this ongoing discussion, and it will provide a sound basis for hearings I plan to hold in the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution later this year.
I was not here serving in Washington in this body when the attacks came on September 11. Like so many other Americans, I was at home, preparing for work, when I heard the terrible news and saw it displayed on the television set. But I know that many of my friends and colleagues who were here on that horrific day feel a very personal debt to the heroes of flight 93.
The brave passengers on that flight did more than just save the lives of their fellow citizens. Absent their courageous sacrifice, it is likely that flight 93 would have reached its final destination in this very building, in an attack that would have virtually eliminated an entire branch of our Government.
Even as we have dedicated ourselves to fighting terror at home and abroad, even as we hope and pray that the tragedies of September 11 will never be repeated, we must always remain conscious of our promise as Senators to serve the people of our States and our Nation and to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
In the aftermath of those attacks, it is now increasingly clear that our current system providing for the continuity of government in the event of a disaster is inadequate in the reality of the post-9/11 world. If an attack of this nature occurred again, and was even partially successful, our Government and our Constitution would be ill prepared for the sudden ramifications.
As unthinkable as another attack of that magnitude may be, we in the legislative branch must be ready for the worst. We must provide for the stable continuance of government, despite all possible calamities. We owe it to the American people to ensure that our Government remains strong and stable even in the face of disaster.
What the evildoers who committed this terrible act on 9/11 will never understand is that America cannot be destroyed by weapons, by armies, or by terrorist attacks. No matter how many weapons they try to make, no matter what secret schemes they concoct, no matter what buildings they destroy, as long as the dream of freedom lives within our hearts, America endures, a beacon of light shining for all the world to see.
The passengers on flight 93 were everyday Americans, men and women with jobs, with families, and dreams. Like all of us, they made promises to their loved ones before they boarded that plane: promises of vacations and baseball games, of presents and anniversaries.
Some promises are not cheap, others cost nothing, others require that we risk all, even our very lives. The crash site left behind by the heroes of flight 93, nestled in the hills of Pennsylvania, is filled with memories of the promises they made and will never keep. That hallowed ground marks their last promise: a promise carried on to the Nation, their children, their loved ones left behinda promise that says freedom will not end here in the violent acts of evil men. It persists, it endures, and it will not be destroyed.
Our Government must not fail the children of flight 93. This body must not fail them. We must prepare for all contingencies, fulfilling our oaths of office, to ensure that the promise of our free Governmenta government of laws, not menshall not perish from this Earth.
I yield the floor.