Finding Answers for The Anthrax Attacks (Rep. Rush Holt)

It has been more than seven years since the anthrax attacks. The attacks, which evidently originated from a postal box in my 12th Congressional district in New Jersey, disrupted the lives of people throughout the region and the country.  For months, Americans lived in fear of a future attack and the possibility of receiving cross-contaminated mail.  Mail service was delayed and people wondered whether there was a murderer at large in their midst. These attacks raised the fear of terrorism to a fevered pitch.

Yet, myriad questions remain about the anthrax attacks and the government’s bungled response to the attacks. All of us – but especially the families of the victims of the anthrax attacks – deserve credible answers about how the attacks happened and whether the case really is closed. American families deserve to know that the government is better prepared to protect them and their children from future bioterrorism attacks.

A bipartisan, 9/11-style Commission would be the best way to get answers about the government’s response and make recommendations to the President and Congress on how the country can best prevent and respond to any future bioterrorism attack. I have introduced H.R. 1248 to establish such a commission, and I urge my colleagues to sign on as cosponsors.