Dear Friend, The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), is an independent, bipartisan commission created by Congress and President Bush in late 2002. It was chartered to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks.

The 9-11 Commission recently released its report, which contained recommendations to help prevent future terrorist attacks, including details of a global strategy and government reorganization necessary to implement that strategy. If you are interested in viewing the full text of the report, I encourage you to visit the Commission's website at http://www.9-11commission.gov.

We now know that we were not as safe as we should have been on September 11. As a result of the testimony of Bush and Clinton Administration officials, as well as independent research conducted by the Commission, the 9-11 Commission Report recommended sweeping changes in how our intelligence agencies and the Department of Homeland Security operate. The July 22 report calls for a reorganization of domestic-intelligence programs within the F.B.I., an office within the White House to coordinate the work of the 15 intelligence agencies, and changes the way Congress oversees the intelligence community.

We must not let partisanship interfere with matters of national security. For this reason, I recently joined the Congressional E-911 Caucus, a bipartisan group of legislators who have endorsed the 9-11 Commission's recommendations and are working for their speedy approval.

After 20 months of work by the commission, and nearly three years after the September 11th attacks, there is not a moment to lose in moving forward with the commission's recommendations. My colleagues and I will meet with members of the 9-11 Commission on August 10th to discuss their recommendations and how we should proceed. We must implement the 9-11 Commission's recommendations to ensure the continued safety of the American people.

Very truly yours,

DENNIS MOORE
Member of Congress