De Blasio on Federal Government Return to WTC: "Terrorists Lost and They Lost Badly"

FINANCIAL DISTRICT, NEW YORK — Mayor de Blasio made a speech today commemorating the federal agency offices that opened at One World Trade Center throughout the year.

The ceremony took place on Friday morning on the 63rd floor of One World Trade Center to celebrate the return of federal agencies to the tallest building in the U.S. de Blasio and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson led the ceremony.

"The federal government is back in strength here at the World Trade Center – a message to the entire world that we will never ever renounce our values or be afraid. So I see a lot of meaning," de Blasio said. "In fact, you could even say the terrorists’ plan backfired. And ultimately we became stronger, we became more unified. We figured out ways to make ourselves safer. We found ways to work together that we hadn’t before. In some way we dug deeper and made ourselves better. You see it here today."

Several companies who previously worked in the Twin Towers returned to the new One World Trade over the past year, including the Federal Office of Emergency Management on the 52nd and 53rd floors, the General Services Administration on the 54th and 55th floors, and Customs and Border Patrol on the 50th and 51st floors.

Since the 9/11 attacks, New York has the largest population it's ever had and the most jobs the city has ever had.

"The terrorists lost and they lost badly," de Blasio said. "This place came back literally stronger than ever. We expect 60 million tourists in New York City this year. None of them are afraid to be here. They all believe that the terrorists lost and that this is a place to celebrate that triumph."

Photo courtesy of Anthony Quintano/Flickr