Earl Blumenauer: “I could not be more pleased that we start the hundred legislative hours dealing with the implementation of 9/11…”

“I could not be more pleased that we start the hundred legislative hours dealing with the implementation of 9/11 commission recommendations. On the first somber anniversary of 9/11, I asked myself whether we had done all we could have as a Congress to make America safe. Sadly I did not think so and my feelings were vindicated when the bipartisan independent 911 commission later reported that much more was left to be done. That was as unacceptable then as it is now. The American public expects and deserves better. By moving forward with these recommendations today, we are keeping faith with that commitment and making long overdue progress. I understand that this is the beginning of that commitment rather than the end. There are other things that I would do much more quickly including giving the American public the budget numbers so they can begin to evaluate our stewardship, but I understand that these will take more time. We are striking a balance between rapid action, broader consensus and bipartisan engagement. Today we're dealing with the lowest hanging fruit and setting the stage for more progress.”