RELEASE: At Intelligence Committee Hearing to Review 9/11 Commission Findings Ahead of 25th Anniversary, Gottheimer Warns of AI-Driven Threats

Above: Gottheimer speaks at 9/11 Commission Report review.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, July 21, 2026, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Co-Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s 9/11 Commission Review, led the second public hearing of the bipartisan group examining how the Commission’s recommendations have been enacted, what has worked, and whether the U.S. Intelligence Community is built to protect Americans and warn against the threats coming next. The hearing comes as the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

“September 11th was the darkest day in our nation’s history,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “In Jersey, we lost 750 residents that morning, and thousands more since due to 9/11-related illnesses. They were friends, neighbors, and family. Thousands of Jersey and New York law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs, and other heroes answered the call and rushed toward the danger as others ran out.”

As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on the National Security Agency and Cyber, and as Co-Chair of the House Democratic Commission on AI and the Innovation Economy, Gottheimer emphasized the need to ensure that the Intelligence Community is equipped for the threats of tomorrow while positioning America to win the AI race against China. He also underscored the bipartisan responsibility to ensure such devastating attacks never happen again. 

“The attacks on 9/11 took years of planning, training camps, and dozens of people,” Gottheimer continued. “AI is collapsing all of that, letting a small cell or a hostile government move at machine speed. We must defend our grid, water systems, and ports from cyberattack, counter foreign disinformation online, and make sure America — not Beijing — sets the rules for this critical technology.”

The hearing featured testimony from leading national security experts on the current and emerging threats facing the United States and how best to position the Intelligence Community to defend against them.

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