"There was so much uncertainty," Ortiz remembered. "We didn't know what to expect. "
In the days following the attacks, Congress had an overwhelming desire for more information, to explain, to analyze. But Reyes said that what was expected of him and his colleagues was not necessarily to explain — it was to admit that they could not.
"What was expected of me as a Member of Congress was to understand that there was more that we didn't know than we actually knew and to understand that there could be additional attacks," he said.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
