Nita Lowey: “I was there when we were negotiating. The gentleman is talking about the Ne'eman Plan, and we all agreed to it. That was…”

“I was there when we were negotiating. The gentleman is talking about the Ne'eman Plan, and we all agreed to it. That was the time when there was interaction in the region. We did not have terrorists in the region blowing people up, blowing innocent children in a marketplace up. That was the time when we had hope for the future. The President has made it clear that we are united in the war against terrorism. We see what is going on in that region of the world, and that is why I have supported the amount put in the bill. Let me just say this: I have applauded the gentleman for crafting the plan. We worked together, we supported it. But times have changed. At that time, I would say to my chairman, my former chairman, we did not have a plane go into the World Trade Center. We did not have people dying in the street because of terrorists blowing people up. So I think this is very different, and I would certainly ask my colleagues, when these amendments come up, that we understand the difference in the world today and how those people are suffering and how we need to deal with our allies and make sure that we keep that message consistent.”