Richard J. Durbin

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Mr. President, on Friday, our country observed a solemn milestone: the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. I remember that morning vividly. I was just outside this Chamber in the Democratic leader's office, meeting with Senator Daschle. We had just heard the news that the first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, and we watched in real time on the television as the second plane flew into the Twin Towers. Shortly thereafter, we were told to evacuate the Capitol Building. From outside, we could see black smoke billowing up across the National Mall, and we knew something terrible had happened mere miles away from where we stood. But we didn't yet know that a third plane had struck the Pentagon. Nor did we know then about the heroic actions of the passengers aboard Flight 93 who lost their lives stopping the hijackers from crashing the plane into another target--likely the Capitol Building or the White House. There were countless other unsung heroes that day across the country, who worked tirelessly, coordinating rescues, cleaning debris, serving meals, and more. And across the border to our north, Canadians opened their homes, schools, and churches to house and care for more than 30,000 stranded travelers from hundreds of flights that were diverted due to the closure of American airspace. Their hospitality, mobilization, and warmth were never in question and are fondly remembered today. Twenty-five years later, relations between the U.S. and Canada are strained due to the President's trade war, but we will never forget the generosity of our neighbors. Ultimately, nearly 3,000 innocent victims were needlessly and cruelly killed that morning--leaving behind grieving spouses, children, parents, siblings, colleagues, and friends. More than 3,000 children lost a parent that day--parents who had left home that morning for work or the firefighter, police officer, and other first responder parents who were off duty but rushed to the scene to help. The victims of 9/11 and their loved ones deserved justice decades ago. But a quarter of a century after 9/11, the trials of those accused of orchestrating the attacks have not even begun. In the meantime, the children who lost parents on 9/11 have grown up. Countless family members of the victims have passed away. And many continue hoping and waiting for the closure of a trial that remains out of reach. This injustice is the result of leaders discarding our Nation's highest values and the rule of law when we needed them most--turning instead to torture, indefinite detention, and makeshift military tribunals at Guantanamo. These fateful decisions tainted key evidence and led to years of avoidable litigation that continues to this day-- with no end in sight. We cannot turn back time. But we owe it to those who lost their lives on 9/11 and their loved ones to salvage what justice remains possible-- not in another two and a half decades but now. At this time of division and turmoil, today's leaders should learn from these failures, not repeat them. It is upholding the rule of law and respecting universal rights that make a nation great.