Chris Smith: “Mr. Speaker, when terrorism crashed through our national borders and claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans…”

“Mr. Speaker, when terrorism crashed through our national borders and claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans, including over 50 men and women from my district in New Jersey who were in the World Trade buildings that day, I advocated early and consistently for a commission to chronicle the lessons learned from the 9/11 tragedy and to develop a well-informed, thoughtful strategy to reduce the risk of future terrorist attacks. The commission's report and subsequent legislation were thoroughly examined by House committees, including the two hearings that I chaired, one in the Committee on International Relations on visa reform and recommendations for enhanced U.S. diplomacy, and the other in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs on emergency medical preparedness. The scrutiny given to the report by previous Congresses was robust, thorough and fair, and although prior legislation implemented numerous important measures that have bolstered our national security, indeed, much has already been done, we must always be diligent in implementing new and expanded means for responding to developing threats.”