Effort to Bring Back 9/11 Commission Advances

Statement

The effort by Rep. Peter King (R-NY) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) to reconstitute the 9/11 Commission cleared an important hurdle this week.

The House Homeland Security Committee has included King and Wolf's legislation in the FY 2012 Homeland Security Authorization Act that was approved Thursday. The measure now goes to the full House.

King and Wolf introduced H.R. 2623, the 9/11 Commission Review Act, in July to evaluate the progress of the implementation of the recommendations made by the panel and to examine emerging national security threats, including domestic radicalization,

Both King and Wolf have extensive backgrounds in counterterrorism policy. King, as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, has convened a series of hearings examining the threat of domestic radicalization in America. Wolf, as chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the FBI, was the author of the National Commission on Terrorism in 1998.

Said King: "The passage of this DHS authorization bill by the committee, and the inclusion of our provision to reconstitute the 9/11 Commission, is good news. In the 10 years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, we have seen our enemy evolve in several ways. Notably, al-Qaeda and its affiliates have shifted their strategy from working to attack our homeland from outside the U.S. to actively radicalizing individuals who are already legally here in this country. This examination will provide a comprehensive and fresh analysis of our progress over the past 10 years and our remaining challenges. I greatly appreciate Rep. Wolf's commitment to securing our homeland from terrorism, and am proud to be working with him on this important initiative."

Said Wolf: "This is a positive step. Making sure that the 9/11 panel's recommendations are being implemented is critical, as is making sure we are dealing with evolving threats."

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