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CNN Live Today
Interview with Jerrold Nadler
Aired September 06, 2002 - 10:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And we now begin our live coverage of this historic meeting of Congress. It will held in New York for the first time in 212 years. The focus, though, is not the building of the nation, but the destruction that enveloped the city on September 11.
Our congressional correspondent, Kate Snow, sets the stage from New York City, from Federal Hall -- Kate, good morning.
KATE SNOW, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, about half of the members of the United States Congress have made their way to New York City this morning, arriving on a train just about an hour ago, a special train that took them straight from Washington to New York's Penn Station.
This is the site where they are going to hold their special meeting, it is behind me here, Federal Hall. It is where Congress first met back in 1789.
Now this morning, at 11:00 a.m., in about a half hour, 11:00 a.m. Eastern time, they begin this special commemorative session. Following that at 12:45 p.m., the members are going to walk down the street to the Regent Hotel for a lunch sponsored by the mayor of New York, and following that, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, a wreath laying ceremony, a solemn ceremony at Ground Zero.
When they have this special session here at Federal Hall starting up in just about half an hour, House Speaker Dennis Hastert will be leading that session. He will speak at the beginning, and so will Vice President Dick Cheney, because Dick Cheney, of course, is the official Senate president -- president of the U.S. Senate.
They will then read a resolution that talks about the heroism here in New York, and talks about the victims, those who died and also those who helped with search and rescue efforts for all those months afterwards. There will also be a lot of people involved, from the New York Congressional delegation. They have been instrumental in bringing this session here to New York, pushing forward for months. One of them joins me now.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler represents this district here -- you represent the people -- Wall Street and also the World Trade Center, where that was.
REP. JERROLD NADLER (D), NEW YORK: All of Lower Manhattan, West Side.
SNOW: You are going to be presenting -- you are going to be leading the Pledge of Allegiance in there.
NADLER: Along with Senator Reid, yes.
SNOW: Tell me about why it was important to bring all of the members of Congress, a trip up here to New York.
NADLER: Well, it is really an expression of solidarity of the entire American people, the entire United States for the people of New York. I mean, New York was attacked. We weren't attacked because the terrorists had anything against New York, we were attacked because New York, in many ways, is the symbolic capitol of the United States.
And we have had -- I mean, the attack, of course, many casualties, 3,000 people, almost, dead, plus a lot of problems for our economy, a lot of problems, and Congress and the president have been very good at helping and hopefully will be in the future, and this is really a very important symbolic expression of solidarity with the people of New York.
SNOW: I know that it means a lot to the members who are here. Do you think that it means a lot to the New Yorkers who you represent? Some of them I have heard say, Oh well, you know, Congress, sure they are coming, we barely notice.
NADLER: Well, New Yorkers can be very blase about things, and there will be people that have that reaction, but I think by and large, it does mean a lot. It shows that New York is not isolated, that when we deal with our major budget problems as a result of this, there was a report yesterday that it cost us $95 billion in the economy, that the rest of the American people are standing with us. That's very important, I think.
SNOW: We looked into -- your office helped us look at how many bills have been brought up down in Washington in Congress to try to help New York. There were 32 bills that had something to do with New York, commemoration or money, many things. Only six of them have passed and been signed into law. That's not a big percentage. Has Congress done enough to help New York?
NADLER: I think Congress has been very good. You can't look at a percentage like that, because five different people enter these bills saying the same thing, essentially. One of them passes. You can't criticize the other five for the same thing. So Congress, I think, has been quite good. The president has been good. Some of the federal agencies have not been so helpful, but Congress and the president have been very good.
SNOW: Congressman Jerrold Nadler. Appreciate your time. I know you are on a tight time frame this morning. Daryn, he is going to be running into the building now, going to be leading the pledge of allegiance along with Senator Harry Reid, who is, of course, one of the leaders of the Senate. They get underway here in just about half an hour, and we will be, of course, following it as it all takes place here -- Daryn.
KAGAN: That we will, with our cameras from inside. Kate Snow at Federal Hall in New York City. Thank you so much.
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