September 20, 2001

George W. Bush's address to a joint session of Congress, September 2001

Bush defines a global "war on terror" and issues an ultimatum to the Taliban

Bush carried the police shield of George Howard, a Port Authority officer killed at the World Trade Center. Howard's mother had given it to him.

9 p.m., 20 September 2001

Nine days after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush addressed a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol at 9:00 p.m. EDT on 20 September 2001; the transcript runs to 9:41.

He publicly identified al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden as responsible for the attacks and accused Afghanistan's Taliban regime of sheltering and supporting the organisation. Lisa Beamer, whose husband Todd had died aboard United Airlines Flight 93, was introduced from the gallery near the beginning.

The demands

Bush demanded that the Taliban surrender al-Qaeda's leaders, release imprisoned foreign nationals, protect foreign workers, close terrorist camps, hand over their occupants and support personnel, and give the United States access to verify the closures.

He declared that the campaign would extend beyond al-Qaeda to every terrorist organisation "of global reach," and that governments continuing to harbour or support terrorism would be treated as hostile regimes. Tony Blair had crossed the Atlantic to sit in the chamber, where Bush recognised him and thanked Britain as America's closest ally.

A speech, not a declaration of war

This was not a constitutional declaration of war: Congress had already enacted the Authorization for Use of Military Force on 18 September. Bush used the phrase "war on terror," but the address did not formally create or legally name an entity called the "Global War on Terrorism."

He also announced a Cabinet-level homeland-security position and named Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge to coordinate it. That was a White House office, formally established by executive order on 8 October 2001 — not the later Department of Homeland Security.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 4 sources 2 audit passes, 3 issues open

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