Speeches
Pelosi -- With Passage of the 9/11 Bill, We Will Make the American People Safer
07/27/2007
Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House
floor this afternoon expressing her support for the joint House-Senate
conference report on H.R.1, implementing recommendations of the 9/11
Commission. Below are her remarks:
“I rise today in strong support of this legislation to make
the bipartisan and independent 9/11 Commission recommendations into law. With
this bill, we will be keeping our promises to the families of 9/11, we will be
honoring the work of the 9/11 Commission, and we will be making the American
people safer.
“I salute the steadfast leadership of so many of our
colleagues, Chairman Bennie Thompson and the distinguished ranking member,
Peter King. I also want to acknowledge
Chairmen Lantos, Dingell, Conyers, Oberstar, Skelton, Markey, and Nadler, who
played important roles in the conference report on this.
“Three years ago this week, the bipartisan and independent
9/11 Commission released its report, outlining urgent and achievable
recommendations for securing our nation.
“Under the outstanding leadership of Chairman Tom Kean and
Vice Chair Lee Hamilton, the 9/11 Commission presented a roadmap to protect the
American people from terrorism.
“In assuming power, Democrats promised a New Direction for
“Today, we will pass the final version of this bipartisan
bill. We will send it to the President
for the signature which we expect that he will apply to it. And when we do, we will have done in 6 months
what previous Congresses failed to do in nearly 6 years.
“We could not have accomplished this without the courage and
determination of those whose loved ones were lost on September 11. The families of 9/11 turned their grief into
strength and advocacy, and that made
“Implementing the recommendations will fundamentally change
the way the President and the Congress deal with matters related to terrorism –
making us more unified and more effective.
“That is because this bill closes loopholes and weaknesses
that terrorists seek to exploit and that leave Americans vulnerable.
“I know others have addressed these, but I want to highlight
some of the important parts of it that make
“Federal funding for homeland security will now be focused
on those parts of the country that are at greatest risk.
“By securing loose nuclear material abroad, this bill will
help prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
“Our bill requires that 100 percent of shipping containers
be scanned and sealed abroad, before they ever reach our shores, and move
through our waterways and across our country.
Mr. Nadler, thank you for your exceptional leadership, your persistence
on this matter. 9/11 occurred in your
district – you have been a relentless advocate for safety, not only in your
district, but for all Americans.
“It also requires the screening of 100 percent of cargo on
our passenger aircraft, a provision, again, relentlessly pursued by Congressman
Ed Markey. We know that lives were lost
on 9/11 because our first responders were unable to communicate with each other
in real time. This bill makes a $1.6
billion investment in the equipment for our firefighters, police, and other
emergency personnel. The equipment they
need to communicate with each other more effectively to protect us, and for them
to protect each other.
“These are just but a few of the provisions of the bill
others have referenced – there is a more extensive list and all of them are
very important.
“Mr. Speaker, as we learned in the National Intelligence
Estimate released last week, the threat of terrorist violence against the
“With this bill, we are honoring our solemn responsibility
to protect and defend the American people.
We take that as our oath of office, to protect the Constitution and in
the Preamble, to provide for the common defense as a major charge to us.
“I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and the President to sign it. And I thank my colleagues again, Mr. Thompson and Mr. King, for bringing this legislation to the floor.”