Commending the actions of the Government of Germany and its cooperation with United States intelligence agencies in preventing a large-scale terrorist attack against locations in Germany, including sites frequented by Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 639) commending the actions of the Government of Germany and its cooperation with United States intelligence agencies in preventing a large-scale terrorist attack against locations in Germany, including sites frequented by Americans, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this proposed resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to thank the leadership of our Foreign Affairs Committee, the distinguished gentleman, the chairman of our committee, Mr. Lantos, and our senior ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, for their leadership and their support of this bill.

I also want to congratulate my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), for introducing this important resolution that highlights ongoing efforts to keep our country and allies safe.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for her help in bringing this resolution to the floor so promptly.

On September 4th, German police arrested three individuals who were suspected of planning a large-scale terrorist attack against several locations in Germany. These included sites frequented by Americans, such as Ramstein Air Force Base and Frankfurt Airport. Had these plotters successfully carried out their planned assault on such populous facilities, the levels of death and destruction would have been too terrible to imagine, let alone American lives that would have been compromised.

Mr. Speaker, thankfully, the world was spared yet another day of horror caused by the heartless acts of terrorists bent on causing large-scale loss and chaos. I strongly commend the Republic of Germany and their intelligence community for its skillful monitoring activities, as well as its swift and decisive action in preventing an appalling act of violence and destruction by terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, I praise the excellent work of our own intelligence community, which, as I understand it, played a pivotal role in foiling their terror plot by providing essential information to the German authorities. This successful collaboration between German and U.S. intelligence communities underscores the continued importance of cooperative measures across the Atlantic to ensure the safety of American lives both here and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, as part of the broader fight against terrorism, there are many nameless individuals whose deeds might not be readily apparent to the public. However, their tireless efforts and personal sacrifice are crucial to preserving the safety of our Nation. I am thinking in particular of our intelligence community as well as members of the United States diplomatic corps, members of our armed services, whom I wish to thank publicly today for their continued efforts to prevent future terrorist attacks.

The discovery of this plot highlights that the threat of terrorism remains real, that it is multifaceted, and that it permeates the neighborhoods of our closest allies. It is, therefore, important that we remain vigilant, yet collective, poised, yet humble, in our efforts to identify and expunge such threats to our national security.

Again, I want to thank my good friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly), for his initiative in providing this resolution for Members for its passage. I urge my colleagues to approve this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to thank Mr. Gallegly for offering this resolution. I think it is a very timely and a very important one.

I rise in support of House Resolution 639, which commends the German Government for its cooperation with our American intelligence community in

apprehending several terrorists in Germany who were bent on killing large numbers of Americans and Germans.

Just last week, this House and the American people took time to commemorate and to remember the tragic loss of life of almost 3,000 American lives killed 6 years ago in the cowardly attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Due to the cooperation of the intelligence agencies in the U.S. and Germany, many Americans are alive today who might well have suffered a similar fate in just the past few days who, quite likely, would have been killed or injured in explosions masterminded by extremists who care nothing for innocent civilians that they are intent on destroying.

We are fortunate, Mr. Speaker, to have allies in Europe who are working with us in this important fight against terrorism as well as our own intelligence community that is working around the clock to protect not only Americans but people around the world.

This resolution expresses to both our friends in the Federal Republic of Germany and to the hardworking people of our intelligence agencies the profound thanks and gratitude for saving American lives

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.