Today in Washington D. C. - Sept 11, 2009 - Remembering September 11, 2001

The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM today and observed a moment of silence in commemoration of the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The Senate will resume consideration of H.R. 3288, the fiscal 2010 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. No votes are scheduled today.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 57-40 to confirm Cass Sunstein as OMB’s Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Also, Sen. George LeMieux was sworn in as the junior senator from Florida following the resignation of Sen. Mel Martinez.

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following remarks on Wednesday in honor of the heroes of Flight 93 and in remembrance of September 11, 2001:

It is an honor to be here today with family members of the brave heroes of Flight 93, whose important place in history will now be forever memorialized here. We will never forget their sacrifice, nor the sacrifices of so many others on that sad day.

In the life of a nation, some moments are worth remembering. Others are impossible to forget. September 11, 2001, is both. With each passing year, the day becomes more distant, but the memories do not. Some remember a warm smile, a last goodbye, a wave from the departure gate, the color of a dress or a tie. Others remember hearing about a friend, or the friend of a friend, and contemplating the horrible details. And all of us remember exactly where we were the moment we realized what had happened, and exactly what we did on that day eight years ago.

For many of us here, we did the same thing we’re doing now. We stood together here at the Capitol to show our solidarity with one another, with the victims, and with the rest of a nation stunned but not silenced by the face of evil. Our hearts were broken, but our spirits were not. And united in purpose, we resolved to confront those who had done these things, even as we comforted the families and friends of those to whom they were done.

Eight years later, that confrontation continues. In far-off places, brave Americans are still inspired by the sacrifices of the victims of 9/11. Today, we also honor them. We will never forget those who died on September 11th, 2001, — those whose lives ended in a flash, or those who gave their lives that day so that others might live.

All of these people hold a permanent place in our hearts, and in the story of our nation. That story is still unfolding. But we know the theme. It’s the same today as it always was: ordinary men and women pursuing their dreams, coming together in moments of crisis with the kind of heroism and sacrifice that people will speak of for centuries. Today we remember the men and women of 9/11 knowing that they will never be forgotten.

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