We ran out of the Capitol complex as what sounded like sonic booms echoed overhead. It had been perhaps less than an hour since the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Now as we were evacuating the Capitol complex, we fled into a completely chaotic arena outside.

Less than three miles away from the Capitol Building, hijackers crashed into the Pentagon on the morning of September 11. Photo Credit: CPL Jason Ingersoll, US Marine Corps.

It was the morning of September 11, 2001. I had spent years working in aviation policy and was then serving as the Senior Democratic Counsel on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee (Aviation Subcommittee). A day that started like any other, suddenly — and fundamentally — changed everything – my job, the simple act of getting on an airplane, walking into work, Congress’s priorities, and how we all understood our own sense of safety. It all changed that morning.

Even 25 years later it’s hard to summon the disjointed feeling of watching the horror unfold on TV while trying to do our jobs with what felt like zero information. In the brief moments just after the first plane hit the North Tower, a former colleague called simply to confirm the first aircraft wasn’t one of theirs. We scrambled to piece everything together while it was all still happening. It was a disorienting mix of fear and the adrenaline we all needed to figure out what happened and why. We had worked through multiple aviation disasters and aviation security matters, but this was very different.

Lines lit up and information started pouring in. Every airline, the FAA, the DOT, and others were immediately available as we coordinated, shared information and tried to act as quickly as possible. Then Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta ordered the grounding of the entire system. It was a decisive, singular act of leadership. Everything stopped. Our entire economy relies on the aviation system, and the pressure to find answers and restart it safely and securely was enormous.

FAA notice issued on September 1. Photo Credit: National Archives

The next day, the entire Capitol area remained closed to staff and to the public. I went back to work alongside my boss, Chairman Hollings, and I know a few colleagues, including my Republican counterpart, and now partner, Rob Chamberlin did as well.  On September 12, it was a deserted building – security was tight – but we had to figure out what had happened and what needed to be changed.  Normally, the Capitol is a bustling, even chaotic place, full of eager tourists and busy staffers and Members.

The attacks on 9/11 exposed sprawling systemic failures, but for our committee, there was one area we knew we could immediately question and fix: the fragmented, poorly funded aviation security system.

At the time, airport screening was handled by private contractors. The turnover rate was staggering – around 400%. That meant inadequate training, lack of institutional knowledge and an unsupported workforce charged with keeping millions of people safe every day. We couldn’t ignore the reality that the hijackers exploited a small airport to gain entry into the system. It proved we needed to do a lot more than just bolster individual checkpoints. That would be a patchwork approach to a system that needed a full overhaul.

As one Senator noted, we had to build an onion with multiple, overlapping layers of protection. And we talked to security experts from around the globe to nurture that onion.

We needed a singular, highly trained professional workforce that everyone could trust and rely on.  And new technologies to ensure the security of the system.

What followed was a legislative sprint unlike anything I’d experienced in my 17 years in Congress. Today, it’s easy to forget that in the weeks after 9/11, Congress operated in a completely different political universe. There was a genuine kinship across the aisle – a shared, non-negotiable drive to fix things and restore our sense of safety, together and at all costs.

As the lead Senate staff negotiator, I spent nearly every waking hour holed up in committee rooms and the Capitol with Rob, our bosses, Senators, House Members and staff and senior Administration officials. Even though we represented different parties and views, we shared something that is often missing today: a kind of unbreakable shared focus, which our bosses also shared. My job was to break this massive, complex overhaul into manageable pieces so we could actually keep the legislation moving forward. We met with airline CEOs, vetted security technology and studied global models with international experts.

These weren’t always exactly polite briefings. Tensions sometimes ran hot because the stakes were high. We argued fiercely over policy priorities, yelled at administration officials over funding and debated constantly. But we never argued in anger. We just worked it out and shook hands because we trusted one another’s intentions.

It came down to a shared bottom line: people deserved to feel safe and secure in the air. And it required a shared agreement: the federal government had a responsibility to make sure that happened.

The end result was building an entirely new agency. One born out of clear and urgent necessity. The newly created Transportation Security Administration (TSA) needed to run like a high-performing security force. People needed to know what to expect when they arrived at an airport and what a functioning security apparatus promised, too.

To make it work, we gave the TSA extraordinary authority to bypass standard red tape and ensure that everyone they employed met the highest standards and could actually keep people safe.

We had been working around the clock for two months, when, on November 12, a flight heading to the Dominican Republic crashed shortly after takeoff from JFK Airport. We wouldn’t find out until later that it was a mechanical failure. But that crash snapped everything into perspective for us. We all knew it was time to get this legislation done and passed – people needed the new system now.

When the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) finally made it to the Senate floor, our team had been up all night. It was not the first all nighter, and we met with our House counterparts for weeks on end putting it together.  It passed unanimously in the Senate, and cleared the House 410-9. On November 19, 2001, President Bush signed it into law at Washington National Airport.

Looking back, what stands out most is the mindset it seemed we all had in that moment. Under enormous pressure to get it right, despite big political differences and without a clear picture of what had even happened. We didn’t wait for perfect conditions or demand total consensus from each other. Policymakers found common ground where they needed to. Meetings and classified briefings were honest discussions of how to secure the system. That way, together, we could put our heads down and finish the work.

Surrounded by congressional leaders, President George W. Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act into law on November 19, 2001. Photo Credit: Office of Congressman John Mica per Wikimedia.

At the signing, the president said:

• “The events of September the 11th were a call to action, and the Congress has now responded. The law I will sign should give all Americans greater confidence when they fly. All Members of Congress care deeply about this issue. Despite divergent views, the Congress worked closely with my administration to develop a bipartisan conclusion that will help protect American air travelers.”
• “The broad support for this bill shows that our country is united in this crisis. We have our political differences, but we’re united to defend our country. And we’re united to protect our people. For our airways, there is one supreme priority: security.”
• “For the first time, airport security will become a direct Federal responsibility overseen by a new Under Secretary of Transportation for Security. Additional funds will be provided for Federal air marshals, and a new team of Federal security managers, supervisors, law enforcement officers, and screeners will ensure all passengers and carry-on bags are inspected thoroughly and effectively.”