PHOTOS: Committee Members Visit September 11 Memorial and Museum, Meet with First Responders 23 Years Later

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, a bipartisan delegation of Members from the House Committee on Homeland Security visited the September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on our nation and honor the thousands of lives lost.
Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) was joined by Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology Chairman Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY), and Representatives Nick LaLota (R-NY), Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), and Tim Kennedy (D-NY). Former House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-NY) also attended.
At a roundtable, Members were joined by Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Commissioner Robert Tucker, FDNY Chief Thomas Currao, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder, retired FDNY firefighter Tim Brown, National September 11 Museum & Memorial Executive Vice President Jay Weinkam, and National September 11 Museum & Memorial President Elizabeth Hillman.
As our nation continues to mourn the lives taken by enemies of freedom 23 years ago, we must never forget the crucial mission the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were tasked with upon its creation in the wake of the attacks. As we were in the hours and days following September 11, 2001, the American people must remain united--bound together by love of country and clear-eyed about the threats we still face. The Committee on Homeland Security remains dedicated to ensuring DHS can accomplish its vital mission: ensuring our country never faces such a devastating attack on our soil again.

Following a solemn tour of the September 11 Museum, members laid a commemorative wreath at the Survivors Tree.

To remember the 2,977 innocent lives lost that day and reflect upon the heroism of the first responders who bravely tried to rescue their fellow Americans, the members placed flowers and American flags at Ground Zero.

Along with the president and vice president of the museum, the delegation then hosted a first responders roundtable lunch at O'Hara's Restaurant and Pub just two blocks from Ground Zero. Michael Keane, the restaurant's owner, was at O'Hara's when the attacks occurred. O'Hara's continues to honor first responders and keep a record of what happened on 9/11 by lining the walls with thousands of patches from firefighters, police officers, and service members around the country.
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