Statement by
Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton
Former Chair and Vice Chair of the 9/11 Commission
September 30, 2004

Ladies and gentlemen: Ten weeks ago, the 9/11 Commission released its final report.

We are pleased – indeed, we have been overwhelmed – at the response to our report and our recommendations.

From the outset, we have had statements of support from the President, and from Senator Kerry.

From the outset, we have had powerful support from the families of 9/11.

We thank the Congress for its prompt consideration of the recommendations we put forward.

We thank the Congress for the opportunity to explain to the American people why we believe the Commission’s recommendations can make our country safer and more secure.

The Commission has testified before the Congress 20 times in the past two months.

Commissioners have participated in scores of additional meetings, in Washington and across the country, to explain our work.

We come before you today at a crucial moment.

We are convinced that the time for action is now. The nation is safer today – but it is not safe. Change has some risks. The risks of not changing are far greater. The status quo falls short. The status quo does not protect the American people.

We are convinced that the President, and the leadership of both sides of the aisle, in both chambers, want to complete legislative action on a substantial portion of the recommendations the Commission has put forward.

The ten of us have consulted, this time as former Commissioners. We want to do everything within our power over the next few weeks to get a good bill to the President.

We are convinced that a good bill can be signed and enacted before the Congress adjourns.

The Senate

We want to thank Senators Frist and Daschle for their strong and steady support for our work.

The Chair and Ranking Member of the Government Affairs Committee, Senators Collins and Lieberman, have shown outstanding leadership and legislative skill. The Committee voted out a bill unanimously last week that closely tracks the Commission’s recommendations on restructuring the Executive branch.

The Collins-Lieberman bill, as you know, is on the Senate floor. It is an excellent bill. We believe it is the right vehicle for legislative action.

We strongly support all friendly amendments to the Collins-Lieberman bill that pick up additional recommendations by the Commission. Senator McCain’s leadership here is noteworthy.

We understand that Senator Feinstein is working on amendments to clarify the National Intelligence Director’s authority over all intelligence-related functions of the FBI, not just those in the Directorate of Intelligence. We support those efforts.

We believe the Senate will soon complete work on a comprehensive bill.

The Senate brought a lot of expertise to bear and it refined a number of the Commission’s recommendations. Some it did not adopt. Some additional provisions were added.

It is our understanding that the White House has concerns about a number of the Senate provisions, as it states, about “excessive and unnecessary detail in the structure of the Office of the National Intelligence Director.”

We did not claim perfection for the Commission report; we do not claim perfection for the Senate bill. But Senate bill is a giant step forward, and we are convinced that the legislative process can address all such concerns.

The House

We want to comment, of course, on the important work in the House.

We commend the Speaker for the bill he introduced last week, now in markup in several Committees.

The bill is comprehensive. It includes a National Intelligence Director, a National Counterterrorism Center, and many of the Commission’s recommendations.

It offers a framework for a bill that can be conferenced with the Senate. We are convinced that the Speaker wants a bill to go to conference. We are convinced that he wants a bill to go to the President.

We commend Representatives Shays and Maloney for their superb leadership and hard work.

We believe a conference Committee can refine and strengthen House provisions that address our recommendations. We are committed to working with the House leadership to achieve this result.

The House bill contains a number of proposals that go significantly beyond the Commission’s recommendations.

We take no position on matters that are outside the scope of what the Commission recommended. We do know that some of these matters are highly controversial, including provisions relating to immigration and provisions that expand law enforcement authorities.

We respectfully submit that consideration of controversial provisions at this late hour can harm our shared purpose of getting a good bill to the President before the 108th Congress adjourns.

The Commission has made every effort to conduct its work in a bipartisan – indeed, non-partisan – fashion. We believe this bipartisan spirit has helped to bring us this far, and we hope that the bipartisan spirit will animate deliberations in both Chambers.

The bipartisan spirit is necessary if we are going to do the hard work together that is necessary to make our country secure.

We strongly urge the adoption of the Collins-Lieberman Bill in the Senate.

We strongly urge adoption of a conferenceable bill in the House that does not have divisive provisions.

We call on both chambers to push ahead with Congressional reform.

Conclusions

We want to make every effort in these remaining days of the 108th Congress to help the Congress and the President complete work on the Commission’s recommendations. We are optimistic that we can achieve this high purpose.

Congress should seize the moment. The power is in its hands to make America safer and more secure.

Thank you.

We would be pleased to respond to your questions.