Recognizing September 11 as a day of rememberance, extending sympathies to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and their families, honoring the heroic actions of our nation's first responders and Armed Forces, and reaffirming the commitment to defending the people of the United States against any and all future challenges.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 643. I support this resolution because although six years have passed since that fateful, horrific day, the pain and agony and sense of loss still endures in the hearts and minds of the American people. More than 3,000 of our countrymen had the fullness of their lives snatched away from their families, their friends, and the communities they loved and that loved them. We can never forget what happened that day to the victims. Or to those who sacrificed their lives to save them. Or to our country, which suffered a wound to the body politic unlike any in previous history. And in remembering what happened to us six years ago, we are reminded what we must do now and in the future to redeem all of the lives lost that fateful day.

Mr. Speaker, on September 11, 2001, the Nation watched in horror as the World Trade Center was transformed into a human inferno that claimed thousands of innocent lives. 9/11 was a despicable act of faceless cowards who have no respect for human life. Across the United States and around the world, people of all ages and walks of life collectively united during a time of tremendous sorrow and despair. It was an unforgettable day that transformed the lives of many and united Americans in a way this Nation had not seen since World War II.

Mr. Speaker, during this commemoration Americans turn toward each other. We seek to embrace, we seek to love, we still mourn the nearly 3,000 Americans whose lives were viciously taken on September 11, 2001. I stand before this House today simply to offer my deepest sympathy and that of my constituents of the 18th Congressional District of the State of Texas.

Six years ago, in the immediate aftermath of the attacks on our country, many brave people

heroically, tirelessly, and courageously participated in an extraordinarily difficult and dangerous rescue and recovery effort, in many cases voluntarily putting their own well-being at risk. Others jeopardized their lives to bring the terrorist to justice or to bring justice to the terrorized.

The war in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom was a just war. An attack on one, was an attack on all. It was an attack on our way of life. It was an attack on our deepest and most cherished beliefs. It was an attack on the freedom and liberty embedded in the foundation of this Nation. Since that memorable day our war efforts have been deferred from its original purpose and many lives lost have yet to receive justice. Six years later and Osama bin Laden still roams free. American blood and treasure are being depleted for a country unyielding to change.

As Operation Enduring Freedom showed, a united America can never be defeated. The indomitable Armed Forces of the United States swiftly toppled the Taliban and liberated Afghanistan and was hard on the heels of Osama bin Laden, who was trapped in Tora Bora. But before they could bring this mass murderer to justice, they were inexplicably diverted to Iraq, where the President had launched a new war against an enemy that posed no immediate threat to the security of America and had no involvement in the attack of September 11. In dividing our armed forces between Afghanistan and Iraq, this Administration divided the American people and alienated friendly nations who were helping us to win the Global War on Terror.

Mr. Speaker, we will do everything in our power to prevent a tragedy like 9/11 from ever occurring again. Americans will not live in fear of a terrorist like Osama bin Laden. First responders should and will be equipped with all the tools necessary to meet the needs of the American people. Thus, today we celebrate the unsung heroes, and the families who survived them, and rededicate ourselves to protecting and securing the lives of the American people from any future threats.

So horrific and traumatic were the events of September 11 that is engraved in our minds as well as our hearts. A day when time literally stood still and people from all walks of life came together. A day where many of us can vividly recall exactly where we were and what we were doing. September 11 was a day that shook the whole world witnessed.

Mr. Speaker, throughout the history of the United States there have been few events that have had transformative impact on the people of the country. For my parents' generation the death of President Franklin Roosevelt was such an occasion. For my generation, the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 is a moment that lives with us forever. The explosion of the Shuttle Challenger in 1986 left a traumatic and indelible impression on my children's generation. The morning of September 11, 2001 is a day all living Americans will remember forever.

Today, six years later, my heart still grieves for those who perished on flights United Airlines 93, American Airlines 77, American Airlines 11, and United Airlines 175. When the sun rose on the morning of September 11, we were all oblivious to the devastation that would later plague the nation. None of us knew that it would end in an inferno in the magnificent World Trade Center Towers in New York City and the Pentagon and in the grassy fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. How I wish we could have hugged and kissed and held each of the victims one last time.

I stand here remembering those who still suffer, whose hearts still ache over the loss of so many innocent and interrupted lives. My prayer is that those who lost a father, a mother, a husband, a wife, a child, or a friend will in the days and years ahead take comfort in the certain knowledge that they have gone on to claim the greatest prize, a place in the Lord's loving arms. And down here on the ground, their memory will never be forgotten.

We will always remember September 11 as the day that brought the whole world together. Many people lost their loved ones. Mr. Speaker, as hard as it is to believe, out of a tragedy so overwhelming and horrific, something good and great emerged. In the midst of September 11, there were no Republicans or Democrats. There were no Northerners or Southerners or West or East Coasters. We were not Red State or Blue State. We were all simply Americans. On that day, we were united in our shock and anger and sadness. More importantly, we were united in our resolve to defend our country and protect the freedoms that have made America the greatest country in the history of the world.

As we continue to pray for the families of the victims and reflect upon that defining moment in our history, we are inspired by the fact that we are a people determined to defend our way of life. But for the better part of six years, we had allowed ourselves to be held hostage by the fear and anger that overwhelmed us on September 11. Over time hearts have healed and a new sense of hope and security has developed amongst the people of this nation. Since that horrific day many lives have continued to be sacrificed and it is time to bring our troops home and unite once more as a nation that serves as the home of the brave and the free.

As we move forward we hold true to the fact that 9/11 is a day that we will never forget. September 11 will never and should never be just another day in the hearts and minds of all people of the United States; but rather a day to reflect on the lives lost and the undying hope that prevails within the hearts and minds of the American people. Although the future is uncertain we can hold true to the strong will and compassion that united our nation during a day meant to divide and destroy us. We, the 110th Congress have an obligation to protect the American people from harm and ensure that a tragedy such as 9/11 never happens again.

Mr. Speaker, I believe all Americans want their country to remain safe, free, and invulnerable to another cowardly attack like the one we experienced six years ago. We owe that much to the Americans who lost and gave their lives. We owe it to them to ensure that their children and loved ones will never again experience such pain, suffering, and loss. We can do this. We must do this. But to bring this new future into being, we need a new direction from the present course.

I urge all members to join me in supporting H. Res. 643.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 643) recognizing September 11 as a day of remembrance, extending sympathies to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and their families, honoring the heroic actions of our Nation's first responders and Armed Forces, and reaffirming the commitment to defending the people of the United States against any and all future challenges.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on House Resolution 643.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, the Members who rise tonight to speak on this important legislation do so not as Democrats or as Republicans, but as one, as Americans united in the defense of the great Nation and the ideals for which it stands: Freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law.

Six years ago, as all of us know, on September 11, 2001, it is a day, Mr. Speaker, that none of us will ever forget as long as we live. September 11 is seared into the American consciousness, much like December 7, 1941, and November 22, 1963, as a day of infamy, a day of unspeakable horror, a day of unmitigated evil, and yes, a day of incredible heroism.

On this eve of the sixth anniversary of September 11, this resolution, jointly introduced by myself as the majority leader and by Mr. Boehner as the Republican leader, recognizes this as a day of remembrance and resolve.

We remember the nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children who lost their lives on September 11. And we extend, once again, our sympathies to their families, friends, and loved ones.

We honor the courage and heroic actions, service and sacrifice of our first responders; firemen, policemen, medical personnel, as well as our valiant servicemen and women who now are in harm's way thousands of miles from this Chamber.

Mr. Speaker, you will recall with me that 343 members of the New York Fire Department lost their lives on that day, in addition to the thousands of people who lost their lives in the two towers. Twenty- three New York policemen lost their lives, and 37 officers of the Port Authority of New York lost their lives on that day.

We must remember, however, that what they did, along with their colleagues in the fire department, the police department and the Port Authority Police, was saved tens of thousands of people who got out of the buildings before they collapsed. We lost people, of course, in the Pentagon as well, people from my district and districts throughout this country.

Today, we reaffirm our commitment to defending the American people against any and all future challenges. I mentioned the Pentagon. I mentioned

the World Trade Center. But a plane that perhaps, Mr. Speaker, was flying towards this Capitol, or perhaps the White House, was taken down by some brave Americans who learned what was happening that day through their cell phones. And they resolved, on that day, to give the last measure of devotion to their country by giving their lives that that plane might not reach its target but crash in the fields of Pennsylvania.

As this resolution states, Mr. Speaker, we remain steadfast in our determination to disrupt, dismantle and defeat terrorist organizations, and we will harness all elements of our national power: military, economic, diplomatic, and, yes, moral, to effect that defeat.

In the aftermath of September 11, Americans, awakened to the threat of international terrorism, collectively declared, Never again. And, over the last 6 years, thousands of Americans have worked tirelessly to improve our Nation's security and to protect our people.

Have we done enough? No. Do we need to do more? Yes. However, this Congress has passed, and the President has signed, numerous laws to assist victims, combat terrorism, protect our homeland and to support the members of our Armed Forces who defend our interests at home and abroad.

Perhaps none of these measures has been more important than the passage this year of H.R. 1, legislation implementing the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. Among other things, this legislation requires 100 percent screening of cargo on passenger aircraft and 100 percent screening of seaborne cargo before it gets to U.S. ports. It ensures that first responders can communicate with each other, improves rail and mass transit security, and seeks to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Without question, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1 will help us harden our defenses and combat terrorism. However, no one should be mistaken: legislation alone cannot immunize our Nation from attack.

In fact, as the Chairs of the 9/11 Commission wrote just yesterday in The Washington Post: ``Six years later, we are safer in a narrow sense: we have not been attacked, and our defenses are better.'' But, as they point out, Mr. Speaker: ``We still have a long way to go.''

It is therefore appropriate that we pass this resolution of remembrance. But it also must be a resolution of resolve that we will not allow the situation that existed on 9/11 to be maintained and, in fact, we have not. We are stronger; but as Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Kean pointed out, not yet strong enough.

Tonight, Mr. Speaker, let us recognize September 11 as a solemn reminder of our vulnerability. Let us also be reminded that we are part of something much larger than ourselves. We are the land of the free and the home of the brave, and the terrorists who sought to break our spirit only clarified our purpose and steeled our resolve. Mr. Speaker, may God continue to bless our great country.

I have talked to a reporter just a few minutes ago. That reporter, Max Cacas, was listening to Leader Gephardt and Speaker Hastert on that September 11, 2001, on the Capitol steps, state our resolve. Then, Mr. Speaker, you may recall, the Members spontaneously sang ``God Bless America.'' It was a prayer and it was a resolve.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this very important resolution.

I ask unanimous consent that the distinguished chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee might manage the balance of our time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for bringing this resolution to the floor, and I thank Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Boehner for cosponsoring this very important resolution to remember what happened on 9/11 6 years ago.

On that terrible day, our country received an assault that was personal, and it was vicious. Our country responded with unity and with clarity about our resolve to fight terrorism. On a personal basis, for the families who were affected, I want to thank them, the families of 9/11, for turning their grief and their sorrow into action. They inspired our country to form a 9/11 Commission, to have the 9/11 Commission recommendations passed into law and signed by President Bush this summer. For that, all of us who care about the security of our country and the safety of our people owe those families a deep debt of gratitude. We also owe them the sympathy that their lost ones, their loved ones, will always be in our hearts.

Earlier today, Mr. Speaker, I went to Ground Zero. I saw the rebuilding that is going on at that site. It is not without great sadness that one visits that hallowed ground. It is not without remembering when some of us visited the first time 6 years ago following the tragedy. At that time, it was total silence, no speaking, no photographs, just a somber evaluation of the destruction that had been wrought and about the lives that had been lost. Today, Ground Zero is rebuilding. It is rebuilding to remember, with a memorial to remember; and it is rebuilding to say to the terrorists that they have not won.

The main goal of terrorists is to terrorize, to instill fear. They don't care about lives. They don't care about buildings. They just want to make people afraid. They want to change the way we run our country, do our business, live our lives and honor our freedoms. But if that was their goal, they certainly have failed. Whether it is at the Pentagon, where a wreath will be laid tomorrow, or it is in Pennsylvania, where we will mourn that loss forever, or whether it is in New York City at Ground Zero, the American spirit is alive and well. Again, they have lost this fight because we will not change who we are. That is what they resent. That is what we will not relent on.

So to those families, thank you. We will always, again, carry your loved ones in our hearts; but thank you for turning grief into power, into law, into a safer America. To those courageous people who rushed in, whether it was the emergency services, the police and fire, whether it was just volunteers, people off the street going in trying to help, whether it was construction companies going in trying to clear the area, to them we also say thank you for their courage at Ground Zero.

But we owe them more, as well. So I hope that in our resolve to remember and to rebuild, to honor our freedoms and to honor our people, we will understand that we must honor a responsibility we have to those who tried to

save lives at Ground Zero, who may have lost their health because of it. So in my trip to New York at Ground Zero and at City Hall, I talked to the mayor and the Governor about how we can work together in a bipartisan way to see what is fair and what can be done now so that fairness will prevail for these people, but that the message will be clear. God forbid if we are ever faced with another situation that we have a compact with our people that if we stand together, we will not stand alone if we are affected by another tragedy. It is very sad.

I thank Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Boehner for putting together this very excellent resolution. Following the vote later this evening, we will leave the Chamber and go down the steps of the Capitol to have a vigil on the eve of 9/11. As the distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, mentioned, 6 years ago, spontaneously, Members, Democrats and Republicans alike, came together and at his suggestion we sang ``God Bless America.'' He is too modest. We will do that again tonight. We will sing that song with all the sincerity in the world. Moved by its beauty, but also committed to its words, we know that God has truly blessed America with our men and women in uniform who are fighting terrorism, with our first responders who are our first line of defense in our community in ensuring homeland security and with all Americans joined together to never forget what happened on 9/11 and never forget that we are committed to our freedoms.

So don't forget, my colleagues, following the vote on this resolution, in about another hour, let's all join together. It will be one of the first memorials to 9/11 this year, once again, on the steps of the Capitol. With that, I commend Mr. Boehner and Mr. Hoyer.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield 1 minute to the distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have before us today a resolution whose purpose is, ``Recognizing September 11 as a day of remembrance,'' extending sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, ``honoring the heroic actions of our Nation's first responders and Armed Forces, and reaffirming the commitment of defending the people of the United States against any and all future challenges.''

Certainly, Mr. Speaker, I remember. Like millions of others in this country and around the globe, I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first heard the news of this hideous atrocity.

Like millions of others, I was profoundly shocked, sickened, and horrified by the scenes I saw unfolding that day. And in me there grew a cold anger. We will get those who did this, I said to myself back then. No matter how long it takes, we will defeat them. We will do everything in our power to protect the people of the United States.

Recently, Mr. Speaker, we took a major step in that direction by enacting, with bipartisan support, legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. By so doing, we addressed major security vulnerabilities, improving our homeland security across the board.

But much more needs to be done. Al Qaeda remains a serious threat to the United States. The leadership of that group has been reconstituted and the terrorists have formed many small independent cells. One such cell was broken up just within the last few days in Germany.

In order to triumph in the war of ideas with the extremists, we need to learn how best to use many forms of soft power, economic, financial, diplomatic, and cultural, which are available to us and to our allies.

We in Congress can help by making sure that the foreign operations budget is fully funded, our principle instrument of soft power. We need to stop frittering away our resources, military, diplomatic and economic, on a ceaseless religious war in Iraq.

The administration is making its case before Congress this week to stay the course in the Iraq war, which it continues cynically to conflate with the global balance struggle against fundamentalist extremism, even with the 9/11 attacks themselves. It continues to disturb me to hear the administration linking Iraq with the attacks perpetrated by Osama bin Laden and his thugs, especially when they are still at large.

The bottom line, Mr. Speaker, is that we will not forget what really happened on that dark day 6 years ago. We will not forget the victims of 9/11, or the heroic first responders who sacrificed their lives, or the fighting men and women who carried the battle to the mountains of Afghanistan and rooted out the Taliban.

We recommit ourselves today, as we have each year at this time for the past 6 years, to continue the fight against those who seek to destroy our American way of life, to deny us our constitutional rights and our freedoms.

We will not forget. We will not falter in our resolve to protect our homeland. We shall remember our heroes.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), a distinguished member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend from Georgia, the civil rights conscience of the Congress, John Lewis.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 1 minute to my dear friend and our distinguished colleague from Rhode Island, Congressman James Langevin.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend and distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hare).

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to my good friend and distinguished colleague from Tennessee, Mr. Steve Cohen.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield half of my time to our Republican colleagues if they need it.

I am pleased to yield 1 minute to my dear friend and our distinguished colleague from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

Mr. Speaker, we are happy to yield back our time, and we are standing united across the political spectrum in our remembrance and in our determination; remembrance of the heroes and the victims, and determination that we shall defend this Nation against all enemies.

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

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio, the distinguished minority leader (Mr. Boehner).

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

This resolution appropriately summons us to reaffirm the sense of urgency forged in the crumbling inferno of the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania. Today we fulfill our duty to remember, to honor the memory of the 2,996 martyrs who gave their lives in the earliest day of protracted struggle against godless extremism.

This resolution reminds us that we are at war and no political difference or debate can detract from the heroic work done every day by the men and women of America's military. The 184 people who gave their lives at the Pentagon 5 years ago fought on an unexpected battlefield, but toiled until the end in loyal service to the national ideals of liberty and justice. A vote for this resolution confirms our eternal debt of honor to all those who fight to defend America and advance freedom.

On 9/11, America's first responders got a bitter taste of the unwelcome battle brought to our shores. But their valor and grit carried us all through that day and those that followed. In this resolution, we also honor and support the work of the public safety and public health professionals who work every day to protect us from terrorist attacks. Between 9/11 observances, however, distance from the tragedy of 9/11 seems to have allowed some politics to seep in to what should be wholly nonpartisan discussions of profound national security issues.

With each passing year, what looked hugely urgent after 9/11 tends to get smaller in the viewfinder as more current problems loom larger. While we lose sight of the threat, an enemy who relentlessly worked to transform airplanes into guided missiles is maniacally focused on other ways to harm us. Rather than using the lengthening historical horizon to elevate our perspective, we have also allowed the debate over the next step in Iraq to draw us deep into the political weeds.

As a Nation with global responsibilities, we need to climb out of the domestic political trenches and reclaim the high ground so dearly purchased 6 years ago. We do the victims of 9/11 a great disservice if we do not take bipartisan steps toward regaining a fair, far more strategic perspective.

While Iraq is undeniably an element of our post-9/11 security equation, we cannot let that effort obscure our view of the emerging threats to peace: an emboldened, nuclear Iran, a resurgent Taliban, a divided Palestinian Government, and our continued dependence on foreign oil as our economic lifeblood.

It is more than luck there hasn't been another major attack since 2001. Given the proven strength of our ideals and the moral bankruptcy of these who exalt death over life, defeat in this war can only be self-inflicted. Only if we lose patience, only if we lose faith in the universality of the yearning for freedom, only if we fail to honor the sacrifices of our countrymen, from Bunker Hill to the Twin Towers, can the purveyors of death prevail over the forces of life.

As in the almost 50-year cold war against Soviet Communism, our post- 9/11 reality has to be defined by a vigilance and a willingness to use all of the instruments of national power, not just the military, to advance the cause of human freedom. That is one lesson of 9/11. Written in innocent blood, it is a lesson we can never forget.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my friend, the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to my distinguished colleague from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown- Waite).

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this point but am expecting a speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) as much time as he may consume.

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