|
|
Clinton seeks $1 billion to fight terrorism
|
|
September 9, 1996
Web posted at: 1:00 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton accepted
recommendations from a White House commission on aviation
safety Monday and called on Congress to provide $1 billion
dollars to fund new anti-terrorism measures before it
adjourns in October. (20 sec./430K AIFF or WAV sound)
"Terrorists don't wait, and neither should we," the president
said during a ceremony in the Oval Office. The report was
prepared by the Commission on Aviation Safety and Security
chaired by Vice President Al Gore. (11 sec./249K AIFF or WAV sound)
Gore said the report's recommendations represented "a combination of approaches -- some high-tech, some low-tech, even some no-tech."
Clinton said that his administration is committed to battling terrorism "on every front."
"The vice president's plan goes to the heart of this strategy, so I want everyone to understand that whenever this plan says the commission recommends, you can understand it to meant that the president will."
In addition to requesting the $1 billion from Congress --
which he said should also be used to enhance security at
public sites in the United States and abroad -- the
president: (22 sec./480K AIFF or WAV sound)
- Ordered criminal background checks on airport workers with access to secure areas.
- Ordered that each piece of luggage loaded onto an aircraft be matched to a passenger.
- Promised to sign an executive order making the National Transportation Safety Board the lead agency in dealing with the families of crash victims.
- Announced that bomb-sniffing dogs from the U.S. military would join security forces at key airports.
Clinton requested the report following the July 17 explosion of TWA Flight 800 shortly after take-off from New York's Kennedy International Airport. Officials suspect the jet was brought down by a terrorist act, but that has not been confirmed.
Related sites:
- CNN Interactive Special Section:
The crash of TWA flight 800 - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
|
Tell us what you think! You said it... |
|
|
© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.