rebuilt and this add administration is against them because they didn't want radical islamists in charge. and in libya, as moderate muslims in the middle east have told me in visits over there, none of us like gaddafi, but he was helping us against terrorism and you helped al qaeda-backed rebels take him out. but for america's bombing, the radical islamists would not have control of libya today or algeria or tune neice yeah. thank -- tunisia. thank god for them rising up, they say we stand with the jus and christians and don't want radical islamists running our country. and i hope this country, our

country's leadership at least, under the president, will wake up. stop hurting the freedom-loving egyptians that don't want the radical islamists support in egypt, back in charge of egypt. don't help isis in syria. don't help them in iraq. and if he had just signed the status of forces agreement that president bush had all but ready to sign, getting cute with that, so it fell apart, then we wouldn't be having all these problems today in iraq and syria hat we are. he's getting horrible advice and it's time for the to the take a hard look at who he really gets advice from, because the moderate muslims in the world

don't want radical islam taking over and they don't, as they've told me privately, like the people that this president has advising him. so, the economy is ready to take off if this president will get out of the way. and people can make money an get back to where one job is enough for a person to make it and do well and cut down on the massive expenses obamacare is causing. we can get rid of that and get back to real health care reform. fetch you save $100 or $200 a month that would get you a vacation people have not gotten this year. there's so much we can do for america, if the government of this country, the people at the top of the quovet -- top of the government will just finally realize, the american people have more answers than we do and

then they'll show us. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. cardenas, for 30 minutes. mr. cardenas: thank you very much, mr. speaker. today, america, mr. speaker, i want to talk about the united states economy. i want to talk about the number one thing that politicians talk about when they ask you to support them. when they're on the campaign trail. and that is, we want to put america to work. i know what it's like to put america to work because i'm very

proud to say that before i got elected to office, my full-time job was to put americans to work. i owned a business. and there were dozens of families who depended on me as the leader of that business, as the owner of that business, to make sure we were successful. so i had to do my job so that dozens of people could go to work and do their job. and millions of americans every two years go to the polls and hope and pray and think and expect that they're electing people who are going to focus on putting america to work. but unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, the leadership of this house under speaker john boehner has been delinquent in doing one simple thing and that is to focus on bills that create jobs.

in some cases it's bills that move government out of the way to make sure that people can put people to work in private industry. in some cases, it's about changing laws that are broken and old and just don't work for today's economy and changing those laws to make sure that americans can go to work. democrats have made jump starting our economy a priority. and i believe in that priority and since i have been elected to congress, i have been fighting on that priority. to try to get bills heard in our committees that will create jobs, that will move america forward, that will move americans who are hard-pressed and want to get off the unemployment lines back into work, get through committee and

eventually on the floor of this house, so we can have a debate and cast our votes for america. but unfortunately, those bills just languish, sitting somewhere in the corner, and don't see the ight of day. for example, the biggest bill to ever pass either of our houses of congress or the united states 113th congressis has come into session was a bill that was passed by the united states senate and it had bipartisan support. there were 100 united states -- there are 100 united states senators, ladies and gentlemen. and 68 democrats and republicans voted aye, voted yes, voted affirmatively for that bill. you see, because that bill, if

this house would have taken up that bill or if this house would have taken up h.r. 15, a bill that looks just like it, that would have boosted our economy. ladies and gentlemen, you hear people all the time right now on the campaign trail saying re-elect me or elect me and they're talking about the economy, they're talking about deficit reduction. an hat one bill has analysis, third party analysis, not analyzed by the democrats, not analyzed by the republicans, not even analyzed by the independents, analyzed by a third party that that's their job, just to call it like it is. that bill, if passed by congress and put thope president's desk, would give us an opportunity to have a deficit reduction of at

least $900 billion. but that bill doesn't see the light of day, not in this house. that bill has not been taken up in this house and speaker john boehner has said over and over, i'm not going to take up that bill. i'm not going to take up that issue. i'm not going to support the american economy. not with that bill. i'm not going to do the right thing by america. and give the economy of the united states of america the biggest boost we could ever see coming out of the actions of the united states senate and this house of congress. it's been sitting here in this house in the corner, collecting dust. while too many americans are having their unemployment run out. while too many americans are losing their homes. while too many americans are telling their children, i'm

sorry, son, we can't afford to continue to send you to college. we don't have any money because we don't have a job. the united states economy can do better. but unfortunately, it's because this congress chooses not to do the right thing, the united states economy moves along. slowly. picking up just a little bit. that's not good enough. that's not right. what i'm doing here at this moment tonight, the reason why i came to this floor, the reason i asked the speaker, can you give me some time to speak on an important issue, the economy of the united states of america, is because it tears me apart. to know that the lack of

leadership in this house and the lack of leadership of speaker boehner is crippling our economy. $900 billion of deficit reduction. wrapped up in one bill. and that bill has sat in this house and has not heard a debate in any committee. it has not heard a debate on the floor of this house. the people that you all elect have had not had an opportunity, 435 members of the united states congress have not had an opportunity to stake a claim on whether or not they believe that we ought to put americans to work. that we ought to get out of the way and fix a law that is broken. a law that does not work. a law that should have been changed a long time ago. but we can change it at any moment on any given day in this

house and this speaker refuses to allow that to happen. you see what's going on in this united states congress, is like what's going on in your home or sometimes in a workplace. let's say you have a family and everybody in the family has been assigned their chores, their responsibilities, say you have a workplace where everybody has their job duties and their itles. in the united states congress, we have our chores, our responsibilities, our job is to pass laws to help america move forward. to make sure that all the different dynamics of the number one economy in the world can flourish. hat's our job. but the united states congress,

this house, has refused to do its job. what's going on is, it's just like that example i just gave you. say in your home, one member of your family chooses not to do their part. you know what happens? something good eventually happens, somebody in that house, somebody in that home, somebody in that workplace sees that that job is not getting done, even if it's not their primary responsibility, they think of the bigger picture, they think of the whole family, the whole house, the whole home, that person in the workplace thinks of the whole bd body of workers there and says you know what, somebody ought to take that job and get it done even though so and so isn't doing their part and that's their job. congress is not doing its job. it's not passing this law.

but you know what happens eventually? somebody walks over there, they do it themselves. even though it's not their primary responsibility. but we ought to be grateful that there are people like that in every community, in every household new york every business, in every work environment. but not in this house. not as long as john boehner, our speaker, chooses not to allow us to have a debate to do our job, to have a vote. maybe a -- maybe it passes, maybe it fails, but our job as members of congress is to legislate. put ideas, good, bad, and otherwise, before the members of this house and vote up or down, yay or nay, yes or no. to move america forward. and let the votes fall where they may. there's a bill that's been languishing in this house for over a year and a half, or close

to a year and a half, and the bottom line is, we have not taken up our duties and our responsibilities. so as a result of that, as a result of that, there's another branch of government. and that person, one person, not 435, not 100, uh one person says you know -- not 100, but one person, says you know what, i want to move america forward. i want to fix a broken system. i want congress to put this on my desk so i can do my job and sign it. and watch people -- americans -- go back to work. and all of a sudden the one person who says, since you won't do your job, i'll go over there and to the best of my ability, to the extent that i legally can, i'll do as much as i can, lift as much as i can, do the heavy lifting because congress

won't. and he gets criticized. that's a shame, ladies and gentlemen. hat's a shame. when in the workplace, somebody decides to step over and say since you won't do it and it's the right thing to do, i'm going to do it, and then they criticize that person. he's the bad guy. no. no. no, ladies and gentlemen. the bad guy, the bad person is the one that says, i know i have duties, i know i have responsibilities, i just don't want to do it. because i can say i don't want to. and if i don't want to, it doesn't get done. at least not in this house. that's what's going on in this house, ladies and gentlemen.

united states congress is sitting on a bill that will supercharge the economy of the united states of america to the tune of deficit reduction of as much as $900 billion with one ill, one vote of this house. and our current speaker, the republican leader, does not want o let that happen. the president of the united states is another branch of government. the president of the united states is part of that balance of power. but when one branch of government is delinquent and deer electricity in their duties, there is a time when that person has to say, hey, what can i do? i want to step up. i want to put america to work.

and as a result of that, has to take action. w, to me, that is a duty bestowed upon every single one of us elected officials. and i'm so disappointed that i got elected to a congress that has been labeled as a do-nothing congress. i got elected to a congress that the statistics, not just opinions, but the facts show that this congress has passed so few laws, that people can actually legitimately say that we are a do-nothing congress. that is a shame. we have responsibilities to this country when we act responsibly.

we make our country what it is, the best country on the planet. and when that happens, the whole world is a better place. but that's not been this 113th congress, not under this speaker. not now. but the most important thing that i want to get across today, that could change. that could change tomorrow morning. we could have that bill on the floor of this congress tomorrow. we could have it on this floor next week. what can unleash americans go to vote for, and that is action. let the votes fall where they may, ladies and gentlemen. our duty as congress is to hear

bills on this floor, have debate from the left and right and center, come one, come all, members of congress, and then the speaker says, open the roll. and there go the votes. reen ones, red ones, yay, nay, but just on that one bill, ladies and gentlemen, more americans would go to work as a result of one piece of legislation than any other thing that this congress has been poised to do in this 113th congress. so right now, as the clock ticks, as congress might adjourn in just a couple of weeks or so, this will be left to another branch of government to decide to move this economy forward to put americans to work. that's a shame.

that's not the way it should be. that's not the way it was designed to be. but the constitution of the united states, you have all heard it, everybody has taken government classes, it's called the balance of power, executive branch, judicial branch, the legislative branch, but when one of those branches is deer electricity in their duties as this house has been deer electricity in their duty to put derelict in work -- their duties to put americans to work, it takes a brave american to step up and say i'll do it. to be careful about how it's done, to be doing it in a way that's legal and does follow the constitution of the united states of america.

but more importantly, ladies and entlemen, to get the job done. to put america to work. to break a broken system. to break a set of laws and renew that into a law into action that will actually put america to work and allow us to continue to be the great nation that we've become. but unfortunately, there's a piece of government, this house, that's not living up to that greatness or its responsibilities, not living up to its duties, this house, this do-nothing congress.

when i say do-nothing congress, that is so painful to me . i'm the son of parents who used to wake me up sometimes before the son came up to go to work in my father's business. and what my father used to tell me, i was five, six years old when i was working with him. he would say, the work's not done. we have to keep working. sometimes so much that my hands would bleed. and i would put on my best crying game and i would say, look, my hands are bleeding, can i sit in the truck? we used to clean fields and clear out houses, whatever odd jobs people had for us. would take me to work with him. and i remember the first time, i thought i was going to be able to sit it out and not do my part, because my hands were

pleading. blisters busted and turned into blood. i showed them to my dad and tried to give him my best somebody story and he said son, the work's not done. we have to get back to work. h, i hated him for it. that's a leader. someone who can look someone in you need to be what you need to be right now. and that's someone who gets the job done, not someone who looks for excuses, not someone hotels stories, not someone who tries to get off the hook. u need to be the person that

gets the job done. ladies and gentlemen, mr. , this house is not the . use that gets the job done it hurts for me to say that. i hate saying it. but sometimes the truth hurts. that's not my opinion, ladies and gentlemen. i'm just restating the fact. i hated my father when he taught e that lesson. but it wasn't until i grew up and it wasn't until i had to put

food on the table for my family, it wasn't until i grew up and i my own business that realized that it's not about the easy way out. it's not about quitting. it's not about being derelict in your duties. it's about accepting your responsibility, acting out on those responsibilities, working through your responsibilities, not making up stories. not holding press conferences and hood-winking the american public into thinking that it can't be done. no. no. no, ladies and gentlemen, we can take care of business on this floor from today into tomorrow and get a bill to the other house or take a bill from the senate, take it through this house and get it to the president overnight.

so any time some congressman or u.s. senator tells you, no. no. no, there is not enough time. at least there is one day left of legislation, mat arer of fact, they have the authority to call back the members and say we can get it done tomorrow. call every member of congress, call every member of the united states senate and say we've got work to do. there's no time off for us. there's no tim time away from these chambers, we are going to get the work done. but this house chooses not to do its job. some people might think, well, this congress -- this congressman is talking a little strong about this house.

you better believe it. we're the congress of the united states of america. there have been moments in this house where we have been applauded by america for the kind of bravery and the kind of work that gets done in this house. that hasn't happened much lately. not in the 113th congress. one bill, ladies and gentlemen, one bill has been sitting in this house languishing, collecting dust, while millions of americans are out of work. that's a shame. that's a shame. i wish there were more members of this congress, like my father , who knew how to get the job done, who knew how to focus on the people that depended on him.

who had a don't-quit attitude. my father was a man of few words. few words. but when he spoke, he was rious, he was for -- forthright and got the job done. he had the guts, he had the fortitude, he had the character to know that sometimes, sometimes when it meant him getting the job done, maybe he wasn't going to be too popular, even with his own son. to be the , so proud , maria man and a woman

cardenas, who taught me how to go to work every day and whatever my duties and responsibilities were, it wasn't about me, but it was about the work and committed to get it done. every week i leave my family in my district and i kiss them good-bye and i hope and pray they put me to work, that i get to do the work that i was elected to do, but that hasn't been happening in this house. and i'm not alone. i talked to a lot of members of this house and they feel the same. they want to move america forward. they want to get this economy up and running the way it should be. the way america deserves to be. but this house refuses to help ake that happen.

hope eaker, i really do and pray that we can put america to work, that we can pass a bill that will create $900 billion of deficit reduction opportunity. i hope and pray we can do that. unfortunately, it's not up to me. i'm not making excuses, ladies and gentlemen. it's not up to me. i do not have the authority or the ability to put a bill on the house floor of congress. i have introduced bills. that's my right, i can introduce bills and do do that. but the only person who has the authority to decide if a bill will be heard by this house is the speaker of this house.

and that's elected republican john boehner. that's the man, that's the person who refuses to put a bill on the floor of this house so that every member of congress can have the opportunity to do their job and help put america to work. i'm a proud american. and i'm so honored and privileged to be a member of the united states congress, represent the 29th district in california, the place i was born and raised in, the community that i love that is just a microcosm of what this great ation is about and what it is. and my hands are tied. i'm not making excuses, ladies and gentlemen. 'm just telling you the truth.

mr. speaker, mr. boehner, please, please put that bill on this floor. put in motion, do your job, that we can do our job. so that americans can have a job. this t we as members of congress can put america to work . we have a broken immigration system and one bill can fix that. we have a broken system in this country and that one bill will put $900 billion toward deficit reduction for america. that one bill will unleash our economy.

and create hundreds of thousands of opportunities for americans to go back to work. i want to thank you, mr. speaker, for the time allotted me, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. under the speaker's announced policy of january 3, 2013, the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. maloney, for 30 minutes. mrs. maloney: i thank the chair for recognizing me and mr. speaker, tomorrow will mark the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attack on 9/11. it is a day for taos remember and mourn those we lost, comfort those who suffer still -- who suffer still, and to honor those who responded on that day with courage and determination. in new york on those dark days,

there were thousands of anonymous civilians and first responders who, without a second's thought, gave their aid they ran into burning buildings to save the lives of others. day onis a day that -- a which we lost 3,000 people. but thousands more lost their health in the wake of 9/11. and in response to the health crisis that responders and others faced, congress came together in a bipartisan way and droga act that would provide health care to those who risked their lives to save the lives of others. when we talk about 9/11, we have to acknowledge the heroes and heroines of 9/11, some who lost their lives that day and those who are sick and diing from illnesses and injuries related

to 9/11. as a congress, we came together in groups all over america to comfort one another and stood together in our nation's capitol and vowed we would never forget. and never forget means we don't forget next year or today, but we are always there to honor and to provide the health care to those who risk their lives to save the lives of others that day. and so we came together this week in new york with the determination to put forward a re-authorization of the act for 25 years. that would continue this program is that the certainty would be there that the first responders, the victims, residents and others that became ill, that the services and health care would be there for them. that vow of never forget comes with an obligation on the part of congress to ensure that we as a country remember, honor, and

care for those who are now sick and those who may still become sick from exposure to the deadly toxin mixes down at 9/11 of fuel and glass and toxins and all kinds of chemicals they breathed that day. a major piece of that promise was the james zadroga 9/11 health and safety act this established the world trade center health program to provide medical monitoring and treatment for 9/11 related illnesses and reopened the september 11 victims' compensation fund to provide for an economic loss -- for economic losses and harm incurred from the aftermath of the attacks. we know that there are thousands of individuals with at least one 9/11 related illness or injury. that includes over 2,900 people

in the world trade center health program who have been diagnosed with cancers. we know that more than 800 new york fire department members and more than 550 new york police department personnel are struggling with serious 9/11 related illnesses. we know we have already lost over 70 firefighters and 60 new york police department officers who have died from their 9/11 related illnesses since 9/11. these are people who got sick working at the pile and they have died because of their exposure. we must continue to provide the specialized medical monitoring and care these heroes received through the world trade center health program and continue to provide economic compensation for the terrible costs they have borne by caring for those who cared so much for us.

but as it stands, the zadroga act is set to expire on october 20, 2015. yet the medical and economic crisis of sick 9/11 responders and suffering survivors will not end in two years. it will only get worse over time. research shows significantly higher rates of cancer among the 9/11 population. a disease with long latency periods. diseases can take decades to man feth themselves. that -- to manifest themselves. that's why i plan to introduce with peter king, jerry nadler and many others legislation that would re-authorize the zadroga act for 25 years. named after detective zadroga, the first to die from 9/11 related injuriesmark others have been helped through this --

injuries, many others have been help through the this program. it would continue the specialized centers of excellence, the national health program, the research into new medical conditions, and the victim's compensation fund for those who may develop 9/11 illnesses later and suffer related economic damages. this is not just a new york issue and i'd like to share this map with my colleague to demonstrate how widespread it is. this map shows that there were first responders and volunteers who came from every corner of america and they returns to their hometowns. that's why we have centers of excellence across this country for to the serve the responders and volunteers that came to 9/11. many of them now are sick from the toxins they were exposed to at ground zero. some from the tristate area have

since moved to other parts of the country. as the map demonstrates, in all, there are health programs participating and participants re in 429 of the 435 congressional districts. this means that in almost every member's district there are constituents who accessed or are being treated under the zadroga health program. these are your constituents who are being monitored and may be receiving treatment for a 9/11 related disease. the zadroga act programs are vital for the sick and dying. they are vital to those that we said we will never forget. and we -- if we do not continue this program, then we are forgetting. so it's critical that we keep this promise and renew this program. together, we can affirm what we

said 13 years ago that we will never forget what happened here, we will never forget what was endured, and we will never forget what we promised. as i said, this map illustrates that the populations in most of the congressional districts are being served by this. today, there was a gold medal -- to the museum in etch in new york city for 9/11, the museum at the pentagon for 9/11, and the museum in pennsylvania for 9/11. i urge my colleagues to visit all these museums and the national september 11 memorial museum which so far has had more than 14 million visitors since opening in september of 2011. the museum serves as the focal point to examining the implications of the events of 9/11, documenting the impact of these events and exploring the

continuing significance of september 11, 2001. e 12,000 artifacts, 23,000 images, and almost 2,000 oral stories displayed at the museum remind all of us of that tragedy and what befell and happened that day. i want to tell the story of the -- with red ban da in a and red bandanna, he's been identified as an equities trader he stayed behind, tide a red bandana around his face, helped many, many people get to be rescued. yet he fell when the towers fell. it tells the brave stories of many heroes and heroines, first responders, and participants who helped others in the burning buildings that day. now the museum has a new exhibit, one that marks an important event in our nation's

response to 9/11. it now displays at the museum a uniform won by -- worn by one of the members of seal team six. this is the courageous team that raided pakistan and -- where osama bin laden was found and killed. it's a magnificent exhibit that i'm proud to have had a role in helping secure this argument fact and i hope people will have the opportunity to visit this new exhibit. the story of 9/11 is not just the suffering and the tragedy of that day but also the response, how we came together, united and determined as a congress, we came together to fight back and i have never seen us work so strongly toward a common goal. in 2002, congress created the department of homeland security which brought together 22 separate agencies and offices

into a single cabinet-level department to secure our country from threats such as border security and cybersecurity as well as coordinating efforts to respond to emergencies. we also created the bipartisan 9/11 congressional caucus which eventually led to the creation of the 9/11 commission to investigate what exactly went wrong with our security and make recommendations to protect our nation against terrorist attack. the commission and its staff reviewed over 2.5 million pages of documents, interviewed over 1,200 individuals in 12 countries including every relevant senior official of both the clinton and george w. bush administrations and held 19 days of public hearings across the country with over 160 witnesses testifying. this independent, bipartisan

commission produced a book, the 9/11 commission report, a well-informed report that served as a blueprint for improving our security. the book sold more copies than harry potter and it came out with suggestions of what we needed to do to make our country safer. released in august of 2004, the commission's report diagnosed the national security failures and led to 9/11 -- that led to 9/11 and offered steps that we needed to take to avoid future attacks. we worked together to support all of the 9/11 commission caucuses' recommendations and the commission's recommendations. this led to the biggest reorganization of our country's security system, the biggest reorganization of our government since 1948 after world war ii. and it created the office of

homeland security and forced all the independent intelligence agencies to share information, not only on the national level but on the local level with people who were working in the intelligence area for our protection. since 9/11, form police commissioner kelly has informed us well over 14 attacks on the city of new york were stopped because of improved intelligence and police work that came out of this reorganization that we passed and put in place in congress. congress established a whole civil liberties oversight board in 2004. and later strengthened it in 2007. the privacy and civil liberties oversight board was there to ensure that privacy and civil liberties' concerns are fully considered when implementing earnt terrorism laws,

regulations and executive branch policies. so the story of 9/11 is not only the suffering, the health challenges, but also the story of how this congress came together to address the challenges to reorganize, rebuild, change our government, our intelligence systems, put in place many safety measures that have served us well and have built our country into a stronger country and one that is better able to address terrorist attacks. i'm pleased to have with me now representative nadler from new york. he represents the 9/11 fight in the district that he is privileged to represent. he has worked long and hard not only on the 9/11 caucus, on the 9/11 commission report, the laws that we worked hard to put into drogea act o the za

-- zadroga act and now nearing a time it will expire. we have to make sure that this bill is re-authorized and never forget means just that, that we will never forget and that means continuing the health care and compensation for those who sacrificed so much to help others. they were there for us. we need to be there for them. i would like to recognize for as much time as he may consume, jerry nadler from the great state of new york. mr. nadler: i thank the gentlelady for yielding. mr. speaker, 13 years ago, osama bin laden orchestrated the deadliest terrorist attack in american history, killing almost 3,000 people immediately and wounding thousands more. the attacks also created an environmental nightmare. hundreds of tons of contaminant poured onto the streets of

manhattan and brooklyn and other areas covering first responders in toxic dust. the environmental protection administration of the united states government, contrary to a.m. will evidence, insisted that the air in lower manhattan and brooklyn was safe to breathe. thousands of responders remained on the site for search and cleanup efforts and thousands of survivors returned to their homes. the e.p.a. was not telling the truth. get angry at the government for the first few days, maybe even a week or two, encouraging people to help with the rescue operation when we thought it might be a rescue operation. but after that two weeks, when people were working at the site for weeks and months without proper protection because the federal government was telling them that no protection was

necessary because the air was safe to breathe, that was no longer a rescue operation but a cleanup operation. there was no one alived to be saved at that point and people were put in danger in vain because the air was not safe to breathe despite the assurances of the e.p.a. today more than 30,000 responders, first responders and survivors are sick and in need of special care because of that. it was for those tens of thousands of brave selfless and innocent responders and survivors that congress came together in 2010 after many years of struggle and negotiation to pass the james za roguea health and compensation a moral der to fulfill obligation. today, the programs are working. residents of all 50 states and 431 of the 435 congressional

districts receive health care through the 9/11 health care program. more than 7,800 individuals have been found eligible for compensation from the victims' compensation fund. $940 million have been awarded. but the federal government's duty to support those who have become ill in the aftermath of 9/11 and those who illnesses are yet to manifest themselves because we know many of the cancers take years to show themselves, that duty is not done. even as the programs authorized in 2010 are set to expire. we must continue to provide health care coverage to the tens of thousands enrolled in the 9/11 health program and ensure that no eligible people are denied coverage. our obligation will carry us far too into the future. thousands of individuals exposed to the toxic air on 9/11 and the

days and weeks after that and even those healthy today will face major health issues in the days to come. i'm proud to work with representatives maloney and king to try to re-authorize these critical programs. i urge all of my colleagues to support re-authorization and to move this bill through congress and to the president's desk as soon as possible. just as we stood together as a nation in the days following september 11, 2001, just as we stood strong together in 2010 to create these vital programs, we must ensure that the heroes of 9/11 are not abandoned when they need us most. we must pass a new re-authorization to sustain these programs. we must protect the heroes and survivors of 9/11. there are two separate separate moral imperatives here that we must meet. the first, we must show that the united states takes care of its

own. we take of those who fall in our battles, who are wounded in our struggle. and the attack on 9/11 was not an attack on new york city, it was not an attack on the world trade center, not against the port authority of new york, but an attack on america, an attack on the united states and in particular, victims happened to be located in new york. and we must show that we do not leave people behind in the battlefield and we take care of those who are wounded in our behalf. the second moral imperative is that much of the injuries that continue to be felt, much of the illnesses with which people suffer, much of the illnesses that we don't know about that people will suffer in the years to come are the direct fault of the federal government because of its assurances, contrary to known facts at the time, that the air was safe to breathe,

that people should go back to work, stay working on the pile, go back to school. we knew better. many of us said, don't believe the e.p.a. don't go back to work. don't go back to school. this is poison. and it was clear. and first when the e.p.a. was saying this, there was no data to support the safety assurances and kept saying it to support it. because of the false assurances by the federal government, many thousands of people relying on those assurances worked without proper respiratory protection to clean up the site, worked in the area, helped revive the economy at the expense of their health. and we must, to the extent possible, make them whole today. that is the second moral imperative. and finally, it must never be said that the united states remembers its heroes and honors its wounded for 13 years and

then forget about them. it's about 13 years. in two years, the 9/11 health bill will expire. let it not be said that we remember for 13 years and take care of people for 15 and that's it. that would be a heck of an ep inch taph on a moral country. as we are involved in a war and the president is going to address us on some aspects of that tonight, let us not abandon those who fell and gave up their health and continue to suffer on our behalf. it would be wrong, it would be immoral, it would not be worthy of the united states. this is a great and moral nation. this congress must show it by re-authorizing the 9/11 bill in a timely fashion. it's one of the things we must do in response to 9/11. many other things we must do and have done, but taking care of

our own wounded is one of them and one of the attributes of a civilized society. i thank you and i yield back. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue and so many other important issues. i would like to recommend and to also recognize a leader on this issue from new york representing staten island and brooklyn, congressman grimm. mr. grimm: i thank the gentlelady from new york and i echo the sentments of my colleagues with the need to re-authorize the zadroga bill in a timely fashion. i rise along side my colleagues and the new york delegation, also to honor and commemorate the nearly 3,000 innocent americans who -- whose lives were cut short in our nation 13 years ago. like so many of my constituents

in staten island and in brooklyn, i have images of the most horrific site that i have ever seen burned into my memory forever. i will never forget what it was like searching for the survivors in the rubble after both towers of the world trade center went down into ash. i will never forget the look into the eyes of the firemen, the police, the construction workers, as we worked side by side. it was a look of overwhelming despair. and though, our hearts broke at the loss from those taken from us, i'm very proud of the fact that americans soon rallied together, were united around an unshakeable truth that the servants of hatred and terror did not strike the greatest nation on earth at random but

because we embody the very freedom and liberty that they so despise. as senator mccain said on the floor of the senate the day of the attacks, those who unleashed these attacks are not our enemies alone, they are the enemies of freedom and independence, of justice and peace. they wage war on the united states because we are and will remain the principal guarantors of freedom. mr. speaker, in a neighborhood of staten island lies a beautiful memorial dedicated to the sum of 274 staten islanders murdered on 9/11, many of whom were first responders. all of whom went above and beyond the call of duty to bring their fellow new yorkers to safety. amidst these pictures lies an insubscription, on september 11, 2001, the world trade center was

attacked by terrorists. from that hatred, a little peace of heaven evolved called angel circle. it reminds us, mr. speaker, that from the horror and despair that our nation endured on 9/11 and endures in all of our hearts this day comes the constant reminder of strength, our pride spirit.unwavering may god bring peace to our loved ones and may we never ever forget the sacrifice they bore for our freedom. i thank the gentlelady. and i yield back. mrs. maloney: i thank the gentleman for his leadership and for joining us tonight in this special order. tonight is a time to remember how just 13 years ago this entire country and even this

congress came together. we were united and determined as i have never seen this congress before, strong in our resolve and ready without question to put country before self. we worked together to bring comfort to the afflicted and justice to the terrorists behind this attack, the bipartisan cooperation, we rebuilt lower manhattan, the pentagon, and put in place a memorial in pennsylvania honoring the heroes on flight united flight 93 that was headed towards our nation's capital. there is still much more left to do and we need to have that same spirit to approach the challenges, such as the crucial earnt terrorism risk insurance lan -- anti-terrorism risk insurance bill and the zadroga compensation act of 2010 needs

to be re-authorized and this and much more needs to be done, not someday, but now. around 9/11, there is a great deal of rhetoric, but actions speak more than words. let us come together and let us get these two important bills and other bills done in a bipartisan way. i yield back. and we shall never forget. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the chair will now entertain a motion to adjourn. mrs. maloney: so move. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the ayes have it. the motion is

>> this hearing is not to draw you over here to the united tates house as much as it is to make an important statement of oversight to act. and i started my remarks by , ying that on the eve of 9/11 and although there have been

much commentary of the potential threat that isil poses, i'm not willing to cede the point and agree to those who have a perspective that the united states may not be in the eye of the storm. i think the way we respond to it is experienced and balanced and sure as we provide security to our citizens and i thank you all for being on the front lines of doing that. that is what the department was created for and that is what the committee is created for as well. so i want to go to a pointed question in the collaboration between state and the department of homeland security and particularly intelligence .nd dealing with c.b.p. is it your thought that the isil actions in syria and iraq

and the isil profile could be a threat to the united states? mr. miller? >> yes, ma'am. as you stated, over 100 americans that have traveled to fight with isil and other extremist groups overseas and western europeans, i do believe that it could be a short-term and long-term threat to the united states. >> mr. wagner? >> yes, i also agree. looking at the systems we have and how we look at, you know, the information we get from the airlines with a person's reservation information and looking at their itineraries and other characteristics of their travel, you know, do they fit what we know about what the intelligence reporting are known factors and are these -- are we identifying individuals that then we want to have a further inspection with and try

to talk to them and try to determine what their purpose and their intent of travel is? and we have good systems to be able to do that. we have good intelligence reporting to help us build those characteristics we're looking for. we have good information from department of state and other entities when we do want to take actions against known individuals, then we have the systems in place to identify them and figure out what point in that process we need to intercept them and have that discussion. >> ma'am, we certainly assess that the isil presents a long-term threat to the country. we know that their leader back in january spoke of a direct confrontation with the united states. as i said, we don't see a near term threat directly from them. no evidence yet of that. but they do have a very sophisticated and savvy media campaign, especially a social media campaign, and i think our near term concern is that that campaign would be quite appealing to individuals who

would seek to radicalize, whether they are over in europe or they're here in the homeland. and they could conduct an attack on their own at any time, based on that media campaign. so that is a very clear near term concern that we have. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> that was part of a house hearing held earlier today op the current threats posed by isis. you can see that entire event later tonight on our schedule or any time at c-span.org. and tonight on c-span, president obama addresses the nation on the dangers of isis and what he plans to do about it. you can see the president's comments at 9:00 p.m. eastern. and after the speech, we'll take your phone calls, facebook comments and tweets. earlier today, a ceremony was held at the capitol commemorating the 13th anniversary of the september 11 attacks. family members of the victims attended the event and were joined by congressional leaders john boehner, nancy pelosi, harry reid and mitch mcconnell.

this is 50 minutes. members of the united states senate and the speaker of the united states house of representatives. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. >> ladies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome to the united states capitol. tomorrow at 8:46 a.m., the capitol will join the nation in a moment of sigh -- silent tribute to those we lost on september 11, 2001. it is one of many such moments, silent or otherwise, they come by instinct now. we stand taller for the colors,

the hand is steadier on the heart, a prayer is felt not just said. and we pull together when we might not have done so before. this is the response of a people who share a stubborn belief in each other. it's a search to grasp whatever it was in the character of ose men and women who, leaving life at its peak, thought of others before themselves. tomorrow we mourn for what was taken from us. today we consider what was left behind. stories we tell and retell. a legacy we strive to claim and amilies that we ache to serve. many of those loved ones are with us today and please join me in welcoming them to our

ceremony. [applause] >> all that we americans are and all we will ever be, we owe to the fallen heroes of 9/11. that day was made up of many sacrifices from which emerged one's spirit, a unity embodied in the medal we entrust today to each member. since your earliest days, congress has awarded gold medals in recognition of extraordinary deeds. among the first recipients were george washington, john paul jones, andrew jackson. and to this day there's no higher honor that we can bestow. this is the first time the medal has been given in honor of so many fallen innocents and we pray it is the last time. that more than anything is why

we do this. because the most stirring, lasting tribute of all is for we who remain never to forget and never to rest until our work is done. thank you all for being here today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors by the united states armed forces color guard, the singing of our national anthem and the retiring of the colors.

>> halt. present. halt. ♪ o say can you see by the dawn's early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight watched he ramparts we gallantly streaming and the rockets' red glare

the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night hat our flag was still there o say does that star spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪

♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing as the chaplain of the united states house of representatives, the reverend patrick conroy, gives the invocation. > let us pray.

loving and gracious creator of us all, we give you thanks for giving us this day and so many days since that moment us one 13 years ago. bless all of us who are gathered here. send your spirit of peace and consolation as we recall a tragic day when so many innocent souls were called into your presence and so many others began lives filled with sorrow and mourning. today we remember them all and in a special way the men and women who died while responding that that national tragedy. we thank you for their currently and self-sacrifice while assisting those traumatized and struggling to survive the violent assault perpetrated on that day. may they rest in peace and may those who mourn their loss be

in some small way consoled by this honor bestowed by congress. we implore you, o god, to send your spirit upon all your children, though so many suffer from acts of terror throughout our world and from various perpetrators, some of whom presume to act according to your will. we seem unable to learn how to love one another and come together to bring what families throughout our world want, peace, health and safe homes for their children. may our gathering today be a call to us all, to work toward a better world and bring some comfort to those who were so personally harmed that violent day 13 years ago by the loss of

their loved ones, the fallen heroes of 9/11. may we always be mindful that you are god and may all we do be for your greater honor and glory, amen. >> please be seated. ladies and gentlemen, united states representative from the ninth district of pennsylvania, the honorable william shuster. [applause] >> thank you. good morning. it is truly an honor to be with you here this morning as we present the congressional gold medal to the three memorial sites in honor of the heroes of 9/11. i represent shanksville, pennsylvania, the area where flight 93 went down, and more importantly where the first

counterattack on the war on terrorism occurred. it's been an honor for me to work closely with the families of flight 93 over the past several years on key initiatives including funding the flight 93 national memorial and awarding the 9/11 heroes a congressional gold medal today. these congressional gold medals are an honor, they're an honor of the heroes that perished on 9/11 and will be displayed at each of the memorial sites. the tragic deaths at the world trade center, at the pentagon and in western pennsylvania on september 11, 2001, have forever changed our nation. the officers, emergency workers and other employees, the state and local governments agencies, including the port authority of new york and new jersey and of the united states government and others, who responded to the attacks on the world trade center in new york city, and perished as a result of the tragic results of september 11, 2001, took heroic and noble action on that day.

the first responders to the attack at the pentagon took heroic and noble action to evacuate the premises and prevent further casualties of pentagon employees. the passengers and the crew of united airlines flight 93 recognized the imminent danger that their aircraft poised, took selfless and heroic action to ensure that the aircraft could not be used as a weapon. by giving the ultimate sacrifice that day, those heroes saved the lives of countless men and women, american institutions and symbols of american democracy. and most likely the building we are standing in today, the u.s. capitol. the united states congress is honored by this opportunity to further pay tribute to the heroic men and women by officially recognizing those who lost their lives that fateful day. thank you very much. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, the united states senator from pennsylvania, the honorable robert kasey. [applause] >> thank you very much, mr. speaker. majority leader reid. leader pelosi. leader mcconnell. ladies and gentlemen, and especially the families of flight 93. like congressman shuster, i'm honored to be here today as a representative of the commonwealth of pennsylvania. we gather today to both pay tribute to and i believe to draw inspiration from what those passengers did on a bright sunny day, flying through pennsylvania, facing the darkness and the horror that they were confronted with. in addition to paying tribute to them and drawing inspiration, we also expressed gratitude today, gratitude for what they did to save the lives

in this building, this city, and of course what they did for america. we also want to express gratitude to the families for what they've done since that horrible day, to make sure that we never forget the contribution of their family members to our own national security and i believe to our own destiny. i think if i went to everyone in this room today, we would have one sentiment in common, ot just gratitude and sorrow and expressing condolence, but also i think we would have a fervent hope that each of these passengers could be here so that we could shake their hands and present them with the medals that will be presented today. we can't do that. the substitute for that of course is what we can do to pay tribute to their families, pay tribute to them through their families. on a day like today, we reach

and we search for scripture and other ways to remember the contribution and seek inspiration. i'm recalling the words from part of the lyrics from "america the beautiful." that wonderful line, oh, beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years. in that moment of horror, those passengers, people that didn't have training in national security or law enforcement ordealing with the horror of terrorism, they understood that patriot dream and they acted on that dream. because they could indeed see beyond the years. what their actions would mean that day and what their actions would mean for america. so let us today draw inspiration from what they did and let us today recommit ourselves to making sure that we're doing all we can to remember that patriot dream and

to always see beyond the years. may god bless them and god bless their families. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the united states army band and chorus.

god bless america land that i love stand beside her ♪d guide her

♪

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the democratic leader of the united states house of representatives, the honorable nancy pelosi. [applause] >> good morning. when we visit the memories of 9/11, we tread on sacred ground. 13 years ago the world watched on a clear tuesday morning as we suffered loss we could not possibly have imagined. and witnessed heroism we will never forget. today we come together once more in reverence to those sacred memories, to help consecrate those sacred places

where so many lives were lost. and so many were saved. i'm honored to have the secretary of the interior here, secretary, our whip, mr. hoyer, the president of the firefighters, mr. shaffer, the fire chief, his wife from california, so many distinguished guests who have sacrificed so much for our country, including max. it's an honor to be here with senator casey and chairman shuster, the representatives of one of the areas so affected and with our speaker, mr. boehner. thank you for making this occasion possible, mr. speaker. and with leader reid. leader mcconnell. i think we'll all agree that as many ceremonies as we may participate in, this is singular in terms of how deeply how our sorrow is and broad our respect is. for our heroes.

again, in this very center of our democracy in this capitol, we bestow these congressional als to our memorials in new york, in pennsylvania, and across the potomac, as a sign of the never-ending commitment to the heroes of that day. today we present those medals to the president, joseph daniels of the national september 11 memorial, a museum in new york, in recognition of the men and women who rushed up the stairs and into the smoke, among many other acts of heroism. to gordon phelp, president of families of flight 93, in recognition of passengers and crew who charged up the aisle as the senator and chairman described. to james latek, president pennsylvania memorial fund, in recognition of those serving our country. with these medals we honor the heroism of first responders and ordinary citizens. we celebrate them and that

capacity, but also we remember them as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, families and friends. we remember the perseverance of the loved ones they left behind and the advocacy of the 9/11 families who turned their grief into action to make our nation safer. as senator casey referenced. president lincoln once cautioned of the silent artillery of time wearing away our memories. we pray that the years might ease the pain of the bereeved, but never let time lessen the deeds of the departed. because of them, because of their acts and deeds of millions of americans, we found hope in the face of despair, strength in the wake of fear, unity in the shadow of loss. today we renew our vow, time shall not dim the memory of our

fallen heroes. their courage adds luster to these awards, for we know their deeds will shine forever. that their lives be a blessing to their beloved, that their sacrifice inspire all to greater compassion and humanity, let us resolve in their name that this date, marked by terror, will belong to bravery. god has truly blessed america with our fallen heroes of 9/11. may god continue to bless the united states of america. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the republican leader of the united states senate, the honorable mitch mcconnell. [applause] >> none of us will forget where we were that morning or the

horrible things we saw. the explosions that melted steel and shattered symbols of ur prosperity and our might. tools of commerce and transport used for brutal and homicidal ends. he people, the loss, the despair. these things we have never been able to forget. and yet that's not all we saw on that saddest of september mornings. amidst of the horror and the tragedy there was something else. something more powerful. in the heart of a great city, strangers rushed to help

strangers, sprinting towards smoke and chaos, ignoring the danger to themselves. we heard stories of heroes returning once more to the swirling tempest of paper and glass, searching for others to help. at the edge of the nation's capitol, colleagues became comrades, reaching out to one another amidst the flames and confusion. and high above the clouds, stories of bravery and revolt, courage that did more than just save buildings like this one or the ideals it represents, but countless lives. these are the 9/11 fallen heroes, first responders, civilians, passengers and crew and so many others. they did not ask to be heroes.

they did not wake that day with dreams of glory. but when history intervened they acted. and unlike the hijackers who plotted to take lives, those heroes sacrificed to save them. the thousands of men and women who perished on september 11 did not die in vein. their memories -- vain. their memories served an still serve as a unifying force or to -- and still serve as a unifying force for our nation. rather by the inspiration of their bravery or the brutal way their lives were taken, their memories stirred americans to even more actors of -- more acts of selflessness, from joining rescue efforts to raising their hands in defense of freedom. in manhattan and shanksville and at the pentagon we've

erected memorials to honor them . and today, with these three medals, we commemorate every man, every woman who perished that day with the highest civilian award that congress can bestow. to the families gathered here, i know the wounds can never truly be healed. but never forget that your country stands with you and that we will never stop honoring the memory of the eroes we remember today. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the majority leader of the united states senate, the honorable harry reid. [applause]

>> senator mcconnell mentioned we all remember where we were that morning. i remember. i was assistant leader, senator daschle had called a leadership immediating, we had every tuesday. at 9:00 in the morning. i was the first to come to that room, s-211. and john came in, senator from louisiana, and said, turn on the tv. something's going on in new york. we flipped on the tv and we said, what happened? a plane must have been misguided into the building. and we thought it was just a news story. that wouldn't amount to. and people started coming in for the meeting. we assembled at the long

conference table in that room and the senator started the meeting. within just a short period of time, a matter of five minutes, six minutes, a couple people came into the room, took him out of the room and he came back immediately and said, we've got to evacuate this room. the building. there's a plane headed for us. as i walked out of that i'll never, ever forget, as i walked out of that room, looked out that window, we could see at that time from s-211 in the capitol, the smoke billowing from the pentagon. hat's a day i'll never forget. we were all very anxious and afraid that day. concerned about what we didn't know. afraid of what we did know. with everyone coming back, senators coming

back into the capitol, democrats and republicans and assembled in the capitol steps, without anyone giving speeches, we were there just to dignyify the occasion, letting everyone know how much we cared about . at we thought had happened and barbara mcincludesky, who has such a powerful voice in that small stature she has, she said, we're going to sing "god bless america," the same song we heard today. that brought back such memories. and we did. those of us that can't sing sang. those of that could sing sang. and it was something we'll always remember. i'll always remember. images of that morning will always stay with me. the shock, the horror, the uncertainty i felt that day will be forever etched in my heart. today, as we bestow the

congressional medal of honor on the fallen heroes of september 11, those memories will be with us. but even in the midst of heart wrenching memories, we're reminded of the heroism that day. ours is a nation started, settled and strengthened by heroes. those who answer the call of duty and those who are called without notice, as happened on 9/11. there were so many who answered the call of duty that day. those souls who answered the call that morning left us with a legacy of bravery we cannot fully fathom. no monument can express our true appreciation, no memorial can convey the magnitude of their courage. our forever gratitude is the only tribute that will suffice. so what we must do is remember their sacrifice. the ultimate price they paid

for our freedom. i believe the heroism and sacrifice we witnessed on september 11, 2001, will forever be in our hearts and our minds and in our nation's history. thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the speaker of the united states house of representatives, the honorable john boehner. [applause] >> in a few minutes we'll have the presentation of the gold medals. first let me thank my colleagues for their words and for their leadership. now, when congress approves a gold medal, the work is just beginning. each medal has its own design committee and in this case of course there were three design committees. the medals are then struck at the u.s. mint in philadelphia,

just blocks from independence hall. all have done remarkable work and we're truly grateful for their efforts. on behalf of the american people, we will now entrust these medals to the memorials, all of which are worthy of the people that we honor today. here to receive the medals, joseph daniels, president and c.e.o. of the national september 11 memorial and museum in new york city. gordon phelp, president of the family of flight 93 and the president of the pentagon memorial fund. please join me here on the stage. [applause]

[applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, president and c.e.o. of the national september 11 memorial and museum in new york, mr.

joseph c. daniels. >> good morning. [applause] it's truly an honor to be here today. along with jim lachek from the pentagon memorial fund and gordon felt, from the flight 93 national memorial in pennsylvania. among members of the cabinet, the joint chiefs, family members of the fallen and our first responders, to accept this medal created in memory of those whose lives were taken too soon in the terrorist attacks of september 11, 2001. of behalf of the board directors of museum and staff, i'm truly thankful to the members of congress, maybe of whom are also here today and who saw the significance of this medal and champions its production. it's also tremendously gratifying to see the number of senators and representatives that have taken the time to come visit the memorial and museum in new york. i do encourage those who have

not yet made that visit to come as well and you are always welcome. we're also fortunate that several of the memorials' board members who are also 9/11 family members, including lee who lost his son, firefighter jonathan lee, paula who lost her husband, david, and monica, who also lost her husband, michael, were a part of the advisory group for the design process of this incredible medal. making it a true expression of tribute and of hope from those who were affected the most. the 9/11 memorial, since it was dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, has welcomed over 15 million visitors and in less than four months since opening the museum has already welcomed more than 900,000 visitors. those numbers are important because they are a true indication of the collective and worldwide will to never

forget. we are honored as an institution to place this congressional gold medal in the 9/11 memorial museum for our visitors from all 50 states and over 175 different countries to see. we are also very grateful that several members of congress are working to ensure the history that this memorial and museum represent receive ongoing operating support. i know that along with my colleagues from the pentagon and flight 93 menls, i am tremendously grad feud and grateful to see the millions of -- grat feuded a -- gratified and grateful to see the millions of americans and that we keep in the forefront of our minds and hearts what we saw on 9/11 and in its aftermath, that when the circumstances require, we can and will come together with limitless compassion. in that spirit, i thank you again for this wonderful tribute. [applause]

>> ladies and gentlemen, president of the pentagon memorial fund, mr. james j. lachek. [applause] >> thank you, everyone. i'd like to recognize speaker boehner, leader pelosi, leader mcconnell, senator -- house majority leader -- or senate majority leader reid, representatives shuster, senator kasey, senator warner, senator cane and congressman moran and my dear colleagues, joe daniels, gordon felt. i would also like to recognize the 9/11 families, survivors and first responders here today as well as the representatives of the pentagon memorial fund. and the pentagon memorial fund founding board members. thank you, speaker boehner, for hosting today's ceremony, the staff has just done an outstanding job.

i would also like to thank senator warner for allowing and asking the pentagon memorial fund for our recommendations for individuals to serve as advisors to the u.s. men on the design of the gold medal for the pentagon site. like to especially thank our advisors, 9/11 family member, my sister-in-law, laurie laychak, pentagon survivor and family member, kathy dilber, and first responders, special agent chris cumes and arlington county fire chief, jim schwartz, four area valuable time and insight that's brawl us all here today. 13 careers ago my brother was killed in the pentagon on 9/11 and the family members and our nation made a promise we would never forget. these congressional medals reflect that promise and will help ensure that future generations that visit the three attack sites understand the significance of that promise. the p.m.f. was formed by 9/11 family members in 2003 to help

raise the funds needed to build and maintain the pentagon memorial as part of our commitment to ensure there's always a place to remember, reflect and renew. dedicated in 2008, the pentagon memorial is a place of solace where friends and families can always go to remember their loved ones. today we are pleased to be working with the department of defense in the state of virginia on plans for a visitor education center that will ensure those who did not know our loved ones or are too young to remember 9/11 have a place to learn about who they were and reflect on the events of that day. they will also have the opportunity to learn about survivors and heroes in the pentagon and they will learn about the response of our government and countries around the world on september 12, when nato invoked article five and 23 allied countries offered to help defend the united states.

it is in this united cooperation and support that is as relevant today and important as it was on 9/11. we believe that those stories -- that through these stories of loss, heroism, community and unity, future visitors will leave the pentagon memorial visitor education center with a renewed sense of hope. we look forward to prominently displaying the fallen heroes gold medal at the 9/11 pentagon visitor education center as a symbol of our nation's commitment to never forget and our renewed hope for the future. thank you for this great honor. thank you very much. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the families of flight 93, mr. gordon w. felt.

[applause] >> good morning. ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, speaker boehner, majority leader reid, leader mcconnell, leader pelosi, senator casey, congressman shuster, secretary jewel. those here today that may have been working in this very building 13 years ago. it is an honor to stand before you today to accept the congressional gold medal of honor on behalf of the passengers and crew members of united flight 93. the gravity of today's ceremony and its location are most appropriate and gratefuly appreciated by the families of flight 93. on september 11, 2001, the symbolic foundations of our nation came under attack and much was lost.

chaos, uncertainty and terror threatened to break our spirit as the scourge of unprecedented evil descended upon our nation. yet as the world observed one of america's darkest moments and our corresponding response, stories of heroism, extraordinary resolve and american resilience shown brightly. first responders did not run from but rather toward. individuals that lived through these attacks selflessly worked together to survive and our loved ones on united flight 93, armed with the knowledge that the nation, our nation, was under attack, took fate into their hands and fought. in doing so they lost their lives. though in the process, most likely saved this very building in which we stand today. were it not for the people honor today with the presentation of these congressional goad medals of honor, our course of human

events would be far different. their loss, their sacrifice rekindled the spirit in all freedom-loving peoples of the world that we cannot afford to lose. our job moving forward from september 11, 2001, for these past 13 years and into the future is to remember. remember the individuals, remember their collective actions and remember who we became that fateful morning. on behalf of the families of flight 93, i thank you. [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, please stand as the chaplain of the united states senate, dr. barry lack, gives the ben diction.

>> let us pray. oh, god, our refuge and strength, we're grateful for his opportunity to honor the fallen heroes of 9/11. hank you, dear god, for people roved in liberating strife who more than self their country . ved and mercy more than life comfort those who still feel as pain of grief and loss you teach us to number our days, that we may have hearts of wisdom. remind us ry heroism

that eternal vigilance remains the high price for freedom. in this dangerous and unstable as one ep us united by your ergirded providence, with liberty and justice for all. , pray in your great name amen. >> ladies and gentlemen, please be seated and remain seated for the departure of the official party.

ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending today's ceremony. have a great day. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2014] >> in a little more than an hour from now, president obama addresses the nation on the dangers of isis and what he plans to do about it. the president has pulled -- told congressional lawmakers that he has the authority to proceed with much of his plan without their formal approval. however, he is seeking authorization from congress to train and equip syrian rebels. and we'll hear more about that from the president tonight at 9:00 eastern. after his speech, we'll take your phone calls, facebook comments and tweets. former vice president dick cheney spoke about foreign policy and 9/11 this morning at the american enterprise institute. here's about 20 minutes of what he said. >> president obama will be speaking later today on the situation on iraq and the middle east which has quickly become the most pressing of

many national security issues. among all the various concerns and issues that compete for our time and energy in washington, nothing matters more than the security of the united states. nothing. everything else we do depends on our safety from the dangers of the world and of all the things our federal government attempts to do these days, the one obligation that only it can do is to defend the nation. it is a defining duty of the president as commander in chief under article ii of the constitution and the tested leadership that matters more than any other. the finest of our presidents have measured up to that test and i've seen some of them in action. it's been my privilege over the years to play a part in some of the more critical national security decisions we faced. there have been five republican presidents since dwight eisenhower. i worked for four of them and worked closely with the fifth, president reagan, as a member of the house leadership during his term in office. these five leaders i've

observed accomplished great things, often overcame great difficulties and the same could be said of others in my lifetime going back to roosevelt and truman. next year we'll commence the eighth decade of what we still call the postwar era. in that time we've seen one of the supreme achievements of human history, a structure of security formed in the years after the second world war, and underwritten, geanchted and defended by the united states of america. what makes it all real in the end is the fact of american military superiority. without that, we would be just one more nation with good intentions and strong opinions. it is not some arbitrary cycle of history that made the postwar era what it has been. it is american power. and american leadership. before we credit the wisdom of even our best statesmen and diplomats in this long era,

always remember where the greatest credit truly belongs. it belongs to the generations of men and women who gave their best years of their lives and laid down their lives in brave service to our nation. against this back drop in 5 1/2 years into the presidency of barack obama, a few fundamental problems are evident. he has served in office now longer than 26 of his predecessors. so it's hardly too early to draw conclusions about his conduct of foreign policy and about the basic ideas and assumptions that he has followed. we know what those notions are because at times the president has been not only clear about them, but quite emphatic. he has demonstrated his own distrust for american power as a force for good in the world. five years ago this month he put it this way. to the united nations. quote, no world order that

elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. end quote. this one stamp from a whole collection of such sayings seems to regard american influence as a problem to be solved in the world rather than a solution to be offered. however, we interpret president obama's words, they are a far cry from john kennedy's vision of americans as, and i quote, the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. with the military, the scientific and the economic strength to do whatever must be done for the preservation and the promotion of freedom. end quote. compare those presidential declarations and it's more than a difference in time that we're dealing with. they are two radically different outlooks on the world and on america's responsibilities in it. and when you have a president whose primary concern is never to, quote, elevate america,

it's no surprise that we also have a defense secretary in a serious state of alarm. the world as secretary hagel said a few weeks ago is exploding all over. i'm here to tell you that there's a connection between these to problems, between a disengaged president and some very volatile situations abroad. in a few hours, we'll hear what he has in mind for the terrorist onslaught currently in iraq. we can hope for and we should look for signs of a forceful, bold and immediate strategy to defeat isis. we can say already however that such a plan would mark an abrupt and dramatic departure from his record thus far. this is the same president, after all, who not long ago was assuring the nation that the tide of war is receding. those words suited his purpose at the time, in 2012, and yet of course that was the very time when danger, now obvious to all, were gathering.

in fact, all that receded from iraq and elsewhere was american power, influence and and if you think that american withdrawal marks a return to peace, consider the new elephant -- caliphate and all that will be needed to clean it out. traveled to ago, i the region. i heard the same question. just what is president obama doing? hard won he sacrifice gains in the region? walking away from friends? like many and our own country, these friends cannot understand why the president was so insistent on withdrawing american leadership just when it was needed most. a policy of