Executive Session

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, as I begin this morning, I need to mention the tornado that tore through my hometown of Sioux Falls last night. Thankfully, there appear to have been no fatalities, but there has been a lot of structural damage. I am grateful to all of the emergency responders, the electric crews, and all of those who worked through the night to keep the residents safe. My thoughts are with Sioux Falls today and with all of those who are dealing with the tornado's aftermath.

I had the opportunity this morning to speak with Mayor Paul TenHaken, of Sioux Falls, who, as you would expect, was up throughout the night with his team. I just expressed our support to him, to his team, and to our community as they begin the process of the cleanup and recovery from what was a very damaging storm.

I also talked with my wife and older daughter, who lives in Sioux Falls, both of whom were in their basements last night as, I think, most residents were. I am glad to hear that people took the necessary steps to keep themselves and their families safe.

As I have reported, so far--knock on wood--we are not aware of injuries that have been associated with this. Yet I will continue to monitor the situation, and my staff and I are available to help with whatever will be needed as a result of this storm. Remembering September 11TH

Mr. President, it is difficult to believe it has been 18 years since the September 11 attacks. That bright September morning is seared in our minds as if it were yesterday--the shock, the horror, the sense of unreality in the days that followed, the grief and loss but also the resolve and the unity of purpose.

As always, where there is great evil, good rises up in response--that of the courageous passengers on Flight 93 who laid down their lives to protect their fellow Americans; Vietnam veteran and Morgan Stanley security chief Rick Rescorla, who successfully evacuated more than 2,000 of his firm's employees from the World Trade Center and died returning to help evacuate others; Jason Thomas and Dave Karnes, two former marines who dropped everything and sped to the Towers and saved the lives of the two Port Authority officers they found who had been trapped in the rubble; National Guard pilots Heather Penney and Marc Sasseville, who scrambled their F-16s--weaponless--to meet the threat that was headed toward DC and who were prepared to sacrifice their lives by ramming their aircraft into Flight 93 before it could hit the Capitol or the White House; and the hundreds of first responders who ran toward the Towers, toward the inferno, and headed up the steps while civilians ran down.

Then there were the countless ordinary Americans who were far away from New York and Washington who flooded blood banks and overwhelmed organizations like the Red Cross with their donations; who stormed Heaven with prayers for the missing and the injured and the suffering; and who proudly flew their flags and reached out to their neighbors.

In the weeks and months and years to come, there was a 9/11 generation of soldiers--those who signed up in the wake of September 11 to fight back against the terrorists and those who were already serving. They deployed around the globe to fight terror and to defend freedom, and thousands of them laid down their lives. Eighteen years on, we remember the horror of that September day, but we are also lifted up by the memory of the heroes who came out of it.

For those of us who serve in Congress, the anniversary of September 11 is also a reminder of the obligation we have to provide for our Nation's defense and to ensure that we are prepared to meet and defeat any threat. In the Senate, I am proud that both parties have worked together over the past couple of years to rebuild our Nation's military after years of its being underfunded and the strains of the War on Terror.

September 11 is also a reminder of our obligation to care for those who stand between us and danger--our soldiers, our veterans, our first responders, and our law enforcement officers. They take on a heavy burden so the rest of us can live in peace and safety. We owe them a debt we can never repay. This year, Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation to make the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent to ensure that first responders whose health has suffered in the wake of their work at Ground Zero, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania will have the resources they need.

While we are on the subject of veterans, like all of my colleagues, I am saddened that Senator Johnny Isakson is retiring at the end of this year.

We were members of the same freshman class in 2004. During his time here, he has been a tireless advocate for veterans, and he will be deeply missed. Yet his hard work in the Senate as the head of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs will continue to bear fruit, and we will continue to work to implement the VA reforms he shepherded to ensure our veterans receive the care they have earned.

I was here in Washington, DC, on September 11, and I evacuated the Capitol Complex. One of the things I remember very clearly from that day were the Capitol police officers who directed us out of the buildings. We were running from the danger, and they were not. They were not going anywhere until they were sure every last man and woman had made his way out.

Against that spirit of courage and self-sacrifice, evil will never ultimately triumph. May God bless all of those who stand between us and danger. May He bless the victims of September 11 and their families, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) and the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Roberts).

Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Alexander) would have voted ``yea.''

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source