WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (AR-01) and Chair of the Committee’s 9/11 Review Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21) delivered the following opening statements in a hearing with experts to discuss the progress made on the intelligence-related recommendations made by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States in The 9/11 Commission Report and identify possible gaps or areas of improvement. This hearing is part of the Committee’s year-long bipartisan review of the 9/11 Commission Report recommendations ahead of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks later this year.   Watch the full committee hearing here.  

Chairman Crawford’s Opening Statement as prepared for delivery:  
Twenty-five years ago, on September 11th, our Nation endured an unprecedented attack—leaving profound loss, devastation, and confusion in its wake.   All of us over a certain age remember clearly where we were on that day and the overwhelming emotions we experienced. The images will forever be etched into our national memory.  

Not since Pearl Harbor, 60 years prior, had an attack like this shocked the collective American conscience.   Americans wanted to know: Who did this? Why did they do this? And how could this happen to the most powerful country in the world?  

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States was commissioned by Congress to answer these questions.   The 9/11 Commission subsequently published its findings in a report in July of 2004.   In this Report, the Commission offered forty-one recommendations to address the existing security gaps that were exploited by Al Qaida.  

As a result of the 9/11 Commission’s work, sweeping reforms to the Intelligence Community were adopted to combat the threats posed by radical Islamic terrorism.   Perhaps most notably, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center were created by Congress as a result of the Commission’s recommendations.  

Other recommendations were adopted in whole, some in part, and others, not at all.   25 years after the 9/11 attacks, this Committee is re-examining the Commission’s Final Report to inform our decision making about our national security policy priorities today.  

We have three primary objectives as we conduct our review:

First, how effective were the 9/11 Commission’s reforms on our nation’s intelligence enterprise and what areas require further attention.  

Second, how has the threat landscape evolved over the last 25 years.  

Last but certainly not least, what recommendations can we offer to address new and emerging threats that undermine the safety and security of the American people.  

As previously stated, the threat landscape has shifted dramatically. Consider the advancements in technology since 9/11: in AI, quantum computing, drones, cyber and asymmetric warfare, biothreats—the list goes on.   On top of that, we now live in the era of great power competition that presents significant national security challenges with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.  

The reemergence of great power competition, combined with an age of rapid technological advancement, has created an unprecedented threat environment.  

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, we learned a hard lesson that a failure of imagination paired with a reactive, defensive national security posture was insufficient to combat the emerging threat of terrorism.  

As then-CIA Director Tenet said at the time: “The system was blinking red,” but the proper national security measures weren’t implemented in time to thwart the terrorists’ plot.   We find ourselves in a similar “blinking red” situation today.  

To combat emerging threats in the dynamic world in which we live, we must have a proactive and offensive strategy.   We must be prepared and forward-looking about the threats we face. Today, we kick off our efforts to learn from the policy failures of the past in order to safeguard our Nation from new and emerging threats.  

We are fortunate to hear from three witnesses with deep expertise across intelligence, counterterrorism, homeland security, and national security law.  

The Honorable John Pistole served as Deputy Director of the FBI during a critical period of post-9/11 reform and later led the Transportation Security Administration, where he oversaw major aviation security initiatives, including TSA PreCheck.  

Dr. Bruce Hoffman is one of the nation’s foremost experts on terrorism and counterterrorism. His decades of scholarship and service, including on the FBI 9/11 Review Commission, provide an important perspective on how the threat landscape has evolved since the original 9/11 Commission Report.  

Mr. Jamil Jaffer brings extensive experience in national security law, intelligence policy, cyber issues, and congressional oversight, including prior service on this Committee and in the White House.  

Together, these witnesses will help the Committee assess what reforms have worked, where gaps remain, and how the United States should adapt to today’s emerging threats.  

I want to thank the witnesses for being here today to examine the 9/11 Commission Report and the profound impact it has had on our national security policies and the Intelligence Community.  

Your perspectives and insight will prove invaluable to the work of this Committee. I now recognize the Ranking Member, the Gentleman from Connecticut, Mr. Himes, for his opening statement.

Rep. Stefanik’s Opening Statement as prepared for delivery:

Thank you to Chairman Crawford, Ranking Member Himes, and my Co-Chair Congressman Gottheimer for working with me to convene today’s vitally important hearing. This is our FIFTH hearing or briefing as part of this commission. 

Twenty-five years ago, our Nation endured the September 11th terrorist attacks that were beyond comprehension and forever changed the course of American history.

In the aftermath of 9/11, it became clear that our national security and intelligence architecture needed to evolve to meet a rapidly changing threat landscape. The reforms that followed strengthened coordination, intelligence sharing, and our ability to detect and disrupt threats on our homeland.

Today’s hearing is an opportunity to examine those reforms, assess what has worked, identify areas that require modernization, and ensure we continue adapting to emerging threats of today and the future. 

The purpose of this commission is to review the effectiveness of the reforms that emerged from the 9/11 Commission Report and to evaluate whether our intelligence and national security institutions are fully equipped to address today’s challenges and tomorrow’s threats.

While the world has changed dramatically over the past twenty-five years, one reality remains constant: America continues to face determined adversaries who seek to exploit vulnerabilities and undermine our national security.

We are now confronting a rapidly evolving threat environment that includes advanced drone technologies, foreign malign influence operations, cyberattacks, biothreats, and artificial intelligence developments with profound national security implications.

Congress has a responsibility to confront these issues directly. We must ensure that our national security and intelligence institutions remain agile, forward-looking, and prepared to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape before our adversaries can exploit gaps.

Today we are joined by a panel of witnesses who played significant roles in strengthening our intelligence community and national security framework in the years following 9/11.

Thank you all for being here today. I look forward to your testimony and to a thoughtful discussion on how we continue protecting the American people in an increasingly complex threat environment.

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