Washington, DC - Those who saw the World Trade Center towers burning on the morning of September 11, 2001 sensed the day’s tragedy immediately. We prayed that the fires would be extinguished and damage limited. When the skyscrapers’ steel skeletons, soft from the heat of combusting jet fuel, collapsed upon themselves, we didn’t want to believe it. The tragedy had become a cataclysm that, like the attack on Pearl Harbor, forced our nation into a daunting new era that would bring uncomfortable changes and require unprecedented sacrifices.

Americans wanted answers immediately, and we can credit our intelligence agencies with a quick realization that al-Qaeda was behind the attacks. Less than a month after Osama bin Laden’s agents attacked the United States, we went after the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. In 2002, Congress set up the 9/11 Commission and gave it broad power to find out why our government had failed to keep us safe and to tell us what we could do to prevent similar attacks in the future. Two years later, the Commission released its final report and recommendations.

Now that we had some answers, Americans wanted action. The government was slow to put into practice measures the Commission recommended, but after the 2006 elections the new Congress introduced the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, the first bill introduced at the beginning of the first session. It became law in August. It makes sure homeland security grants go to the highest-risk areas, provides money so police, firefighters and medical personnel can communicate with each other, strengthens security at ports and airports, makes terrorist travel more difficult, promotes biometric identification at the border, shares intelligence with local law enforcement, promotes privacy and civil liberties, improves our national infrastructure, and prevents the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, among other priorities.

This year Congress also passed the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2008, which strengthens port and airport security, and expands support for local law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. It also provides money for more Border Patrol agents, our critical first-line defenders against terrorists who try to enter our country. In addition to this primary responsibility, the Border Patrol apprehended over a million illegal immigrants in FY 2006 and 823,637 more so far in FY 2007, and continues to watch for illegal drugs entering the country.

The security of the Houston area in particular has been one of my top priorities in Congress. There have been many recent successes on our front:

First responders in our area will be able to coordinate their communications, reducing the odds of 9/11-type confusion, thanks to a $14.5 million grant announced in July.
Last year, the Port of Houston was designated “Level 1” for security purposes, ensuring that we get the same resources as ports in New York and Los Angeles.
After hosting a 2005 Grants Workshop with the Department of Homeland Security, Harris the Port of Houston have received over $45 million, which will go a long way toward making sure terrorists and their weapons aren’t coming through our back yard.
Last year, Harris County received $9 million to improve security with an electronic intrusion detection system, interoperable communications, and additional water and dockside law enforcement patrols.
The Port of Houston Authority received $1.7 million in funding to improve security through the installation of enhanced security fencing and gates along with additional cameras and access controls.

Six years on, 9/11 still looms large in Americans’ minds. The memory touches every aspect of our national life, from economics and politics to travel and our sense of security. We are finding our way in a “post-9/11” world, avoiding foreign and domestic policy mistakes. We have learned that it’s not enough to be smart or to have good ideas; we have to enact concrete policies that bring solid results. That is what Congress has endeavored to do this year, and will continue to do. On Tuesday, let us remember those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, pray for their families, and renew our commitment to protect our country.