WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. introduced two pieces of legislation Thursday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including measures to preserve survivors’ firsthand accounts and honor SEAL Team Six.
Kean, R-N.J., introduced the 9/11 Legacy Preservation Act of 2026 with U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. The legislation would direct the director of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress to establish an oral history program to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories from survivors of Sept. 11, 2001.
Kean also introduced the SEAL Team Six Congressional Gold Medal Act with U.S. Reps. Madeline Dean, D-Pa.; Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.; and Bill Keating, D-Mass. The legislation would award a Congressional Gold Medal to SEAL Team Six in recognition of its role in bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.
“September 11th is deeply personal to New Jersey. For families across our state, that day still has a name, a face, an empty chair at the table. Hundreds of our neighbors left home that morning and never came back. Twenty-five years later, we carry their memory with us, along with the courage of the first responders who ran toward danger and the service members who answered the call to defend our country.
“The truth of September 11th is clear. Innocent Americans were murdered in an act of evil against our country and our way of life. Our responsibility is to tell that story with honesty, to honor the people we lost, to stand with the families who still carry that loss, and to make sure every generation understands what happened that day and what followed.
“This package is about fulfilling that responsibility to preserve the firsthand voices of September 11th, honoring the Americans who brought justice to the terrorists responsible in the years that followed, and supporting the victims and families. A quarter-century has passed, but our promise remains the same. We remember them. We honor them. America will never forget,” Kean said.
Kean is also a co-sponsor of a resolution commemorating the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and a resolution recognizing New Jersey first responders who carried out rescue, recovery and medical relief efforts following the attacks.
