Congress Back in Session; Members Vow United Fight on Terrorism
(Measure on Trade Center, Pentagon attacks is day's sole business) (1180) By Ralph Dannheisser Washington File Congressional Correspondent Washington - The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives returned to session September 12 - just a day after deadly, coordinated terrorist attacks in Washington and New York prompted an evacuation of the U.S. Capitol - and took up a joint resolution vowing that the perpetrators would be hunted down and punished. "Today we go back to work ... determined to show the world that America will not be defeated by anyone," House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (Democrat, Missouri) said in one of the opening floor statements. Consideration of the joint resolution was the single piece of formal business on a day when members of both chambers and both parties pledged their full support to the president and his administration in dealing with the aftermath of the attack and doing what is needed to prevent a recurrence. The Senate passed the measure by a unanimous 100-0 vote; the House of Representatives was to vote in early evening, with approval a foregone conclusion. The joint resolution puts Congress on record as condemning the terrorists who planned and executed the attacks, "as well as their sponsors;" promising joint efforts with the president to find and punish them; extending condolences to the victims and their families and friends; and commending rescue workers, volunteers and state and local officials who dealt with the twin tragedies September 11. The resolution declares that the United States is entitled, under international law, to respond to the terrorists' "premeditated attacks ... at the symbols and structures of our economic and military strength." It also expresses certainty that the people of the United States "will stand united ... in the aftermath of these tragic acts," thanks foreign leaders who expressed solidarity with the United States after the attacks occurred and asks them to "continue to stand with the United States in the war against international terrorism." And it commits the Congress to support increased resources in the effort to eradicate terrorism. Finally, it declares September 12 to be a national day of unity and mourning. Elsewhere in Congress, appropriators set to work on drafting a supplemental spending bill providing added funds for disaster relief, investigations, and increased security at potentially vulnerable sites. House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young (Republican, Florida) said the measure could be considered as early as September 13. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee coincidentally held a previously scheduled hearing on the topic, "How Secure Is Our Critical Infrastructure?" It's chairman, Senator Joseph Lieberman (Democrat, Connecticut) opened the session by observing, "We are serious about commencing a war against terrorism.... We have to understand it's going to be a different kind of war." He predicted that "future attacks can and will probably be aimed at paralyzing our financial markets" and other vital systems. Speaking to media representatives in the White House driveway September 12, just after he and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat, South Dakota) had met with President Bush, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (Republican, Illinois) declared that "now is the time for government to move forward." Hastert declared Congress to be "ready to move on whatever the president suggests," and promised a bipartisan approach in bringing that action about. "When somebody takes this country for granted, when it violates the people of this nation and the sovereignty and the freedom of this nation, this Congress stands united, shoulder to shoulder, to do the right thing, to stand up for America, and do the legislative work and process that we need to do," he said. Daschle agreed that "we literally and figuratively stand shoulder to shoulder" in efforts "to help the victims, to care for the families, and to punish those responsible." He cited passage of the joint resolution as evidence of "the single-mindedness of that appreciation." "We will work with the administration to allocate the resources and to dedicate whatever strategy may be required to fulfill our obligations," Daschle said. "It is our strong desire not to do this as Republicans or Democrats, but as Americans," he added. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Republican, Mississippi) shared both the outrage and the resolve of his colleagues in a statement issued September 12. "Let this be said, and let it be understood in every corner of this world: A great nation does not seek vengeance. A great nation does pursue justice. In this case, justice may take some time. But it will come," Lott said. "By day or by night, at once or in stages, without warning and without pity, justice will come - and with it, all the hellfire these demons have earned for themselves." "For now," Lott concluded, "we must mourn our dead, tend our wounded, and comfort those whose lives have been shattered." Speaking on the Senate floor September 12, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden (Democrat, Delaware) called this "a time to mourn, but not to despair; a time for resolve, but not remorse; a time for sober investigation and no recrimination; a time to unite, not to debate." Biden urged that, in responding to the crisis, the United States make certain to adhere to its democratic heritage and established liberties. "The one thing we cannot allow to change are the values upon which this country is built, for if that were to occur, then they [the terrorists] would be able to declare victory, genuine victory," he said. He warned the terrorists that "in this dastardly act, they may have done what no other group of people could possibly have done, and that is to unite the civilized world - unite our allies in Europe, who share our values; unite our Russian friends, our Chinese friends; unite the world, because that image of that plane smashing into the second tower has reverberated around the world, and every leader in every country can picture the same thing happening in their nation." "There will be very few places to hide," he declared. And Biden cautioned those "who pretend that they wish to be our friends that they're going to have to make some very difficult choices." He singled out Pakistan, which he said would "have to make a very difficult choice very soon." Ending on a highly optimistic note, Biden said, "I see in this cataclysmic tragedy ... the beginning of the end of organized legitimized terrorist activities." Earlier, soon after the coordinated attacks on September 11, Rep. Henry Hyde (Republican, Illinois), chairman of the House International Relations Committee, declared, "Our friends and our enemies alike must be made to understand that we will not be deterred from the defense of our interests nor shrink from our responsibilities." While Hyde projected a struggle that "may be long and difficult," he said the tragic attack "calls for the certain and severe punishment of those responsible and requires a resolve by Americans to address our vulnerabilities." (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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