Bill Pascrell: “I want to commend, in the beginning, Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King for the work of your staff, everybody…”

“I want to commend, in the beginning, Chairman Thompson and Ranking Member King for the work of your staff, everybody chipped in; and I really want to commend the work that you have all done. Mr. Speaker, it is about time. Three years ago, the commission put forward a comprehensive evaluation of our Nation's vulnerabilities and listed key recommendations toward making our Nation safer, more secure. We finally passed landmark legislation to close many of the dangerous security gaps, and we are going to do that today. We will address the weaknesses that continue to leave this Nation at risk, and I say it is about time. More than a year ago, Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita reminded us all again how unprepared we still are to deal with catastrophes, whether caused by nature or a terrorist attack. That is the politics. That is the charade. And that charade has been a deadly charade. The Congress will not wait another day to make the necessary improvements to our Homeland Security. This landmark legislation includes many long overdue steps. Our ports and our critical infrastructure will be better protected. Our borders will be harder to enter. Terrorists will confront greater difficulty in obtaining nuclear materials, and our aviation will be better defended, just to name a few.”