September 11, 2002

Washington, DC - One year after the tragic events that took place in New York, Washington, D.C., and over the skies of Pennsylvania, we can still feel the profound impact those events have on our lives.  For the victims’ families it’s the hard realization that they have lost someone forever.  For many others it’s the fall of the economy that has cost hundreds of thousands of Americans their jobs.  For all Americans it’s the sense of security that was lost as we watched the World Trade Centers fall to the ground.

This week we commemorate the thousands of innocent men and women who lost their lives last year.  We also celebrate the incredible resilience we have displayed to overcome adversity and move forward as a stronger, more resolute nation.  Our nation came together in a time of need that was unprecedented for our generation and the affects of that are still present today.  But there was and still is much for which we need to recover.

 

On a personal note, I will be forever proud that on the evening of the attacks, when Members of Congress were forbidden to enter our nation’s Capitol for security reasons - Members of Congress stood on the Capitol’s East steps - not as Democrats or Republicans, not as rural or urban, not as African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, Anglo-Americans or Asian-Americans - but as Americans.  After our Congressional leaders spoke, without planning or preparation, we sang “God Bless America.”

 

It is unlikely our lives will ever be the same.  We must now spend extra time going through airport security.  We frequently receive reports of possible new attacks that scare us into staying at home and preventing us from living our everyday lives the way we choose.  In the back of our minds, we all wonder when and where the next attack will come.

 

The events of 9/11 also had a huge economic impact on our nation.  Immediately after the attacks, we saw our nation’s airline and entire tourism industry take a major blow.  The stock market was closed for three days.  Tens of thousands of workers lost jobs as we fell further into recession.

 

The government has worked since 9/11 to put things back to normal.  We set up a fund to help the victims’ families.  We helped the airline industry stay on its feet.  We provided relief to many of the workers who lost their jobs.  More importantly, we engaged ourselves in a war on terrorism, increased security across the board, and worked to provide confidence to our citizens that they are safe where they live.

 

The war on terrorism, while not a high-profile war, continues to make progress in eliminating terrorist cells and preventing future attacks against America and our interests.  Many high-level al-Quaida officials in Afghanistan have been killed or captured.  Along with our allies, we have been successful in identifying and breaking up several terrorist cells operating around the world.

 

We created the Transportation Security Administration to oversee airport security and protect air travelers.  U.S. Marshals now travel on many flights and airport security screeners are in the process of becoming federal employees subject to strict background checks.

 

We are also on the verge of creating a Homeland Security department that will combine multiple federal agencies into one.  This department would be solely responsible for handling the day-to-day task of protecting our nation and our people.

 

September 11, 2001, will be a day none of us will ever forget.  Together we have proved as a nation that we can stand together in times of adversity.  While future attacks may be imminent, there is no question that America is better prepared to prevent them from happening again.

 

In our nation’s history we have valued our individual rights but in times of crisis we come together as a nation.  September 11, 2001, will be remembered as our generations’ Pearl Harbor and we are responding.