Louise Slaughter: “we are here to consider a package of reforms that, despite garnering broad bipartisan support throughout the Nation, was…”

“we are here to consider a package of reforms that, despite garnering broad bipartisan support throughout the Nation, was not cleared for the floor until today. The House received this blueprint for making America safer in the form of the September 11 report in July, well over 5 months ago; and upon release of the report, and ever since, the commissioners have been appealing to the House to respond to its recommendations with a great sense of urgency. To its credit, throughout the summer recess the House undertook an ambitious schedule of hearings on the 9/11 report; and as a member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security, I heard the impassioned testimony from both Governor Kean and Representative Hamilton as they presented a compelling case for why structural reforms were essential to enhancing the security of the American people from the threat of terrorism. At the time, I believed we would get this intelligence reform package cleared by both Houses of Congress well before the third anniversary of the 9/11 attacks; but as we all know, despite broad bipartisan support in both bodies, it simply did not happen.”