James Oberstar: “Mr. Speaker, that cataclysmic event that occurred a week ago brought this Nation together at the very same time that it…”

“Mr. Speaker, that cataclysmic event that occurred a week ago brought this Nation together at the very same time that it tore us asunder. We are here tonight to attempt to thread together shattered pieces of our economy, the torn hearts and spirits of our fellow citizens. In the limited way that we can, with the limited tools at our disposal, I share the frustration of many of my colleagues on this side of the aisle who wanted to reach out beyond the provisions of this bill and extend help to those workers who were laid off in the immediate aftermath of last Tuesday. I thought we could do that and that we should do that, but there were other voices and other pressures. Since we do not have the majority, we do not dictate the course of events. Yes, I think we should have addressed security to a greater extent than we did in this bill. There is $3 billion to be used by the Secretary of Transportation for sky marshals, for strengthening flight deck doors and for other airport security provisions; and there will be more to come.”