Beforget what happened then. I vividly remember that morning in my own office in jasper indiana. I didnt have a tv, somebody there brought it up on the internet. The second plane flew into the building. Never forget that image because we didnt know what happened with the first one. We knew what happened with the second. Senator rick scott and i recently over the summer break took a trip to israel. All of that that went into preparedness the evil that lurks around the world. I see it again up close to where it always makes you wonder how can you live like that . How can you be prepared when you know they are always individuals countries out there just like in 1941 just like in 2001. Imagine living in a country where your entire border surrounded by fence or wall to keep people out in the really tough places there is another barrier. In the really tough places a dirt berm. That drove home again how important it is to be prepared and to always be strong when it comes to defending his country, the liberty and freedoms that we all enjoy every day. Never thought it can happen in 1941, didnt think it could happen in 2001, it can happen again because thats the world we live within. When i came here as a us senator i always knew the most important thing there somebody should do his foster defense and security of this country and when you see it slip so precariously over the last few years and thank goodness we built it back up to a level that makes sense. Its because we always need to be repaired. If we are going to truly honor all the lives that were lost in 1941, 2001, inevitably down the road we need to be strong, we need to be prepared and we always need to be aware of the fact that we are blessed, just like the state of israel is blessed, despite all of esthat, the thriving economy they live with that danger every day, they find a way to get through it. Let us never let our guard down or drop defenses here, our freedom and our liberties depend upon it. I yield the floor. Mr. President. Edsenator from missouri. My friend from indiana and others have pointed out today, this is the day that americans remember as a day of unique tragedy earlier today on the senate floor we had a moment of silence in the middle of a series of vote the senate floor was full of members who paused to think about what had happened that day. Almost every american alive today knows where they were that morning. It was a beautiful clear morning just like this morning was. If you are too young to remember where you were that morning its a likelihood your parents told you where you were that morning. It was a seminal moment in changed how we look at so many things in our country. Today we reflect where we were and the changes that occurred after that. I was working in this building on the other side of the building as a member of the house 18 years ago and i shared with Capitol Police today my appreciation for what they do every day. On this day every year i remember being one of the last people to leave this building as the Capitol Police are working hard to get people out. A sense that the plane was coming here and was going to either hit the white house or the i remember walking out of the door and i really was among the last to leave the building here that day but i remember looking in the eyes of the Capitol Police woman who was still at the door and realizing that i was going to be out if the building was a target i was quickly going to be somewhere else. She was still going to be here until those who worked with us and work to protect us every day were assured that everybody that could possibly be found and gotten out of the building was already gone. We clearly understand the world is a dangerous place. We just had a discussion this week a foreignpolicy discussion about whether in the country that really had served as a haven for al qaeda what would happen if we totally left that country back to the taliban and would it become a haven again . And almost certainly think it would. We really need to think about a number of things. One is, so many people do so much to protect us all the time. We have thousands of americans in uniform and in the Intelligence Community that every day spend their time being sure we are as safe as we can be and that our freedoms are secure. They are deployed overseas, fighting terrorist group like isis or the remnants of al qaeda. And they are working here to spot homegrown terrorists. They are doing what they can to find what somebody might be talking about or what somebody might be bringing across the border. That would be of danger and senator o and i were at the border last week and one of the things we talked about were not only the drugs coming over the border but the other things coming over the border designed to harm us and who we are and how we live. In st. Louis missouri and arnold missouri we have the second biggest installation of the National Geospatial agency constantly looking at the information that is out there looking all over the world to see if there is activity in places that there wouldnt be b activity but if there was activity it would likely be activity that would be designed to harm us or others in the world. We need to understand that that and we also need to understand that in the society we live in there is never a perfect security and perfect freedom at the same time. We worked really hard not to allow ourselves to lose the freedom we cherish in return for the security wed like to have. We also need to remember those people that respond. The First Responders that ran toward the tragedy on 9 11 as others were able to run away from the tragedy, passing each other many of those First Responders became numbered among the 3000 americans that died that day. Just last month the president signed into law the National Urban search and rescue parity act that allows federal and employees to be active participants in urban search and rescue teams from a Natural Disaster or manmade disaster. Third thing we need to keep in mind is how important it is we honor and care for the victims and the heroes among us. Those that ran toward the tragedy, those they left behind. People who still suffer today because of what happened to them that day. That likely is not those people that benefit from the Victims Compensation fund for people staying behind to help others rushing forward to help others. We dont want to become afraid to be the great Diverse Society we have become. We dont want to become a society where we allow the terrorists to win by taking our nfreedoms away but this is an important time for us to think of those freedoms for those who defend those freedoms for those who rush to the scene of danger when we have danger and for those who try to do everything they can to minimize that. Today we grieve, we pray, we remember, we resolve that we will continue to be vigilant against attack and unafraid of defending who we are. With that, mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. President. Senator from iowa. Mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that the vote series began following the remarks of senators dave collins langford and cotton. Without objection. Mr. President , 18 years ago on a bright clear skies september morning, without warning, our nation was attacked. Many of us probably remember where we were on that horrible day. I had that morning off, i was at home with my nearly twoyearold daughter. We did it have the tv on, we had a couple of gentlemen at the house. I was getting a brandnew furnace. What would be a couple hour installation turned into an all day event as those men would take time off from installing our new furnace to run into the other room so we could see what was going on on the television. I had two phone calls that morning the first was early it was from a neighbor and she said, joni, do you have the tv on . And i said, no i dont, whats going on . She said joni, you need to turn the tv on. So i did. I saw the horrible events unfolding right in front of us. The second phone call i got was from my Iowa Army National guard unit. Captain ernst, doing 100 accountability check. We need you to stay by the phone all day so we know how we can get a hold of you. 100 accountability. It was an experience many of us had never felt before. The terrifying shock of knowing that the country we love and our fellow americans were under attack, mr. President , our adversaries sought to tear us apart by their cowardly act. But instead, they brought us together as americans. Those terrible moments we also saw the very very best of our country. The firefighters, police officers, First Responders and ordinary citizens who courageously put their lives on the line to save countless others. On that day as individuals and as a nation we came together in a unique way. And we also made a pledge to never forget. To never forget the nearly 3000 victims and the families that they left behind. To never forget the heroism of First Responders and those everyday men and women who selflessly acted to save lives. To never forget the importance of defending our homeland and the great democratic vegetables that we stand for. Its a pledge i personally take very seriously and its why ive organized this event from my colleagues to come to the floor today and to share their memories and thoughts on today that 18th anniversary of the september 11 terrorist attacks. Its why i work so hard to make sure armed forces have the technology, support, and resources they need to defend our nation from threats both here at home and abroad. Thats why i cosponsored and hope to finally get signed into law a permanent reauthorization of the september 11 Victims Compensation fund. Keeping our nations promise to support First Responders who continue to sacrifice their health and even their lives, from their wwork in post9 11 recovery efforts. Its why we should never ever take our nation and our freedoms for granted. Mr. President , i am just one of the millions of americans keeping the promise to never forget. In fact, today back home in iowa there are countless folks that are honoring that bow in their own thoughtful way. Many years today the anniversary of a day of service performing acts of kindness throughout iowa. Others come together with their communities to honor and remember those who were lost. Its really wonderful to see all the way folks are doing that from walking in the 9 11 march to the capital in aa and to visiting the 9 11 never forget mobile exhibit currently at the clay county fair to participating in the annual 9 11 moment of silence motorcycle ride in mason city. For some of our fellow iowans today will be spent remembering loved ones lost in the attack. Folks like newton, jean cleary, whose husband loving and goodnatured, goodhumored godfearing giant of a man who never came home from a fateful business trip to the World Trade Center 18 years ago. For nearly 2 decades jean has been on a crusade to keep joes memory alive she helps raise funds for newtons very own 9 11 memorial. She speaks to local students educating them about the events of that day. 18 years ago. Shes given her testimony all over iowa and for folks in iowa, they probably seen her driving across the state she is a pretty special license which which reads nvr 4gt. Today and every day iowans are keeping that sacred promise. We will always remember jim cleary and the nearly 3000 others who have lost their lives that tragic day. We will always honor the heroes whose selfless sacrifice and saved countless lives. We will always rise up to defend our nation and its citizens. We will never forget. That is our sacred promise. Thank you mr. President. I yield the floor. Mr. President. Senator from montana. 18 years ago today americans with witnessed what evil looks like. 18 years ago today americans witnessed the watch of innocent life 18 years ago today americans witnessed acts of cowardice. Today montanans and americans across our country are taking time to reflect upon the horrific acts of 9 11. Today we take time to remember the thousands of lives lost on that horrible day. We remember the daughters who lost mothers. Sons who lost fathers. Loved ones and friends and the communities that were broken by these tragedies. I know i speak for most of us when i say that we remember that day like it was yesterday. That fateful morning i was in n bozeman montana. I typically like to get an early start at work. We are two hours ahead of eastern time so it was early in the morning. My wife cindy called me, i was at my desk, i was working for Cloud ComputingSoftware Company starting today. Cindy called me, she said its really strange news there has been a plane that has hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I think many of us at that time thought it was a small private plane, kind of a strange bit of news coming out that morning. Then as the minutes went by, we started finding out what was really going on that it wasnt a small plane. It wasnt an accident. It was a 767 loaded with fuel because it was attempting to make a journey across our country from boston to the weste coast. In the images of the planes crashing into the twin towers is one i will never forget. Its one that will never stop hurting. I remember after that and it was confirmed it was a commercial aircraft, very quickly the speculation began that this was a premeditated terror attack. Moments like that you want to be with your loved ones and i quietly closed the door to my office and drove home to be with my wife and be with family as we watch the rest of the horrible day unfold. 2977 innocent americans lost their lives. 2977 innocent americans didnt return home that day. I think its important to think about every single human life that was lost and the pain of the families that remember that day today when they lost their loved ones. The pain is very real yet again today. This was a lslaughter of our fellow americans that shook our nation to its very core. Yet in the face of extreme adversity, we are a nation that came together and we carried on i think about those moments when our churches, cathedrals, were filled with americans in prayer. Reflecting upon what had happened. Today we honor and remember the almost 3000 people who died that september morning. We remember the survivors those First Responders and the firefighters the friends and family to those we lost. While we take time to remember today, we also reflect on who we are as a nation. As americans we are strong, we are resilient, after the 9 11 attack responded with strength and we strengthened the homeland. And we are most grateful to those who have served and are serving today and our armed forces. More recently over the last year and last december i flew to afghanistan, we carried 50 pounds of montana beef jerky to deliver to the 4 95 combat sustained support battalion at the montana Army National guard. Deployed over in afghanistan protecting us. As i received the brief that day, reminded yet again that this war coming against terrorism exists this very moment. I can tell you that because of the men and women who serve in our armed forces and intelligence and Law Enforcement across our nation, its because of them that we are able to stand here today without another terror attack like we saw in 9 11. I received a brief in afghanistan in december, that border between afghanistan and pakistan, there are plots being created and attempted to hit the home line again if it were not for those brave men and women, many special forces spent time with scott miller who is had a career in special forces, who is overseeing the operations there. Grateful that they continue to remain vigilant in this fight against global terrorism. Americas enemies want us to be afraid. Here in america we dont give up. When america is strong, so are our allies. We must remain vigilant to ensure we maintain that the reagan doctrine of peace through strength. The world will never forget what happened on this day 18 years ago. Despite the political differences and divisions we have across our country and the city, we must always remember that we are all in this together. And americans are strong when we are united. There is no force of evil or terror that will ever overcome who will lead to true they should of a free and united people. We ask that god continue to bless our fighting men and women and may god continue to bless the United States of america. Thank you mr. President , i yield back. Mr. President. Senator from arkansas. September 11 is a solemn anniversary. 18 years later we still remember the toll from that terrible day. Nearly 3000 americans lost their lives in the attacks on the twin towers, the pentagon, the united flight 93. But every american experienced the pain of loss that day. Just as we mourn the innocent lives lost, we also remember the heroism of our First Responders. Who ran toward danger and death to help their fellow americans. Out of the ashes of that terrible tragedy arose the strength and unity that the whole world came to admire. September 11 altered the course of our nations history and a blaze of fire and smoke and for so Many Americans, it altered the course of our lives. Deployed overseas just weeks later and remain in the fight today. So Many Americans join them in listening to the nation. Young kids who witnessed firefighters rush into the burning towers, grew up and themselves joined units with oldfashioned names like engine and letter. Generation of Intelligence Officers dedicated themselves to preventing another 9 11 and they have and they still do. Our lives continue to be altered because the consequences of september 11 us. Still with the attacks of 18 years ago continue to claim new victims. As First Responders and others succumbed to injuries and illnesses that trace back to that morning. The al qaeda terrorists who attacked us or bloody yet undefeated while the taliban terrorists who gave safe haven threatened to regain control in afghanistan. Most tragic of all our brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines continue to sfall in th line of duty and defense of our country. Just last week Army Sergeant first class el