US Senate Votes Unanimously to Authorize Use of Force and $40 Billion in Emergency Appropriations

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Tom Carper today voted to appropriate $40 billion in emergency funds and to authorize the use of military force to fight terrorism in the wake of the attacks on our nation this week. The unanimous votes provide the President with the authority he needs to defend the United States against terrorist attacks. The decisions arrive on the heels of bipartisan meetings aimed at committing the nation to bringing to justice those responsible. Carper issued the following statement on the historic votes. “The language passed in the Senate today provides clarity and demonstrates unity on Capitol Hill and across the nation. These funds will allow communities to begin to respond and rebuild after this terrible tragedy. We have witnessed this week one of the greatest tragedies in our nation’s history. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the parents, to the spouses, and to the children of the aircrews and passengers aboard the aircraft that were hijacked, as well as to the families of those who worked at and perished in the World Trade Center and in the Pentagon. Figuratively, if not literally, they were our brothers and sisters. Just a few days ago, they were moms and dads to their own kids, sons and daughters to their own parents. Today, they are gone. And while they are gone now, their heroism and their selflessness lives on in our hearts.”