9/11 Legacy Preservation Act of 2026

Congress finds the following:

(1) The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, New York, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania remain the deadliest terrorist attacks in history.

(2) Targeting the World Trade Center in New York, hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower and hijacked Flight 175 struck the South Tower, ultimately causing the collapse of both towers.

(3) Targeting the Pentagon in Arlington, hijacked Flight 77 struck the western facade of the Pentagon, decimating that portion of the building.

(4) After passengers and crew aboard hijacked Flight 93 learned of the other two attacks, they fought to regain control of the cockpit, crash-landing in a grassy field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It is widely believed the final target of Flight 93 was the United States Capitol or the White House in Washington, DC.

(5) The 9/11 attacks killed 2,753 people in New York, 184 people in Virginia, and 40 people in Pennsylvania.

(6) Oral histories are of immeasurable value to historians, researchers, authors, journalists, filmmakers, scholars, students, and citizens of all walks of life.

(7) Survivors of 9/11 are an invaluable resource in their memories of the tragic events of that day, and can provide a rich history of our Nation and its people through the retelling of those memories.

(8) It is in the Nation’s best interest to collect and catalog oral histories of 9/11 survivors so that future generations will have original sources of information regarding the lives and times of those who survived this tragic day, and so that Americans will never forget the events of September 11th, 2001.