This afternoon, the House observed a moment of silence for the families and victims of the tragic commuter plane crash outside of Buffalo, N.Y. late last night which killed all 49 people on board and one person in a home.

Speaker Pelosi:

The news of the plane crash in upstate New York last night leaves all of us in Congress with a heavy heart today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who died and with the entire Buffalo community.

This accident is a tragedy for the entire nation, and a deep, personal loss for so many. Shortly after the terrible tragedy of September 11th, I had the privilege to get to know one of those who died last night: Beverly Eckert. After losing her husband, Sean, on 9/11, she turned her grief into strength by becoming a powerful advocate for improving our national security. I was proud to work with Beverly and so many 9/11 families as we worked to pass legislation to implement the 9/11 Commission reforms. As I told Beverly, without dedicated people like her, there would have been no 9/11 Commission, there would have been no 9/11 Commission recommendations, and there would have been no sweeping changes to make Americans safer.

I hope it is a small comfort to those who grieve today that so many are praying for them at this sad time.