Sean Patrick Maloney: “Mr. Chairman, tragedy hit close to home last week for my family when one of our neighbors on our block fell victim to…”

“Mr. Chairman, tragedy hit close to home last week for my family when one of our neighbors on our block fell victim to the crash of TWA flight 800. Let us be clear, we do not know whether or not terrorism was the cause, but, either way, the crash is one more wake-up call that terrorism can happen in America. We must all take care not to politicize this tragedy, but we must also not forget that we made a promise to the American people when we enacted the antiterrorism bill to develop more advanced bomb detection systems, stronger cargo holds on airplanes, more sensitive sensors to identify biological and chemical agents, and new technology that will allow our swat teams to enter buildings silently and deal with hostage situations more quickly. The Schumer-Schiff amendment makes sure we have some of the funding that is necessary to fulfill this promise. If we can afford the space station or star wars, I know we can afford $10 million more to protect ourselves against a real danger within our shores, terrorism. This amendment alone is not the answer to terrorism. We need to do much more. My colleagues from New York and New Mexico have been fighting for more money and for this cause all year, but this amendment is one large step in the right direction. Let us not wait for the next wake-up call, the next tragedy without enacting it.”