Photo Courtesy of Sen. Schumer’s Office
Rep. Jerry Nadler (l to r.), Sen. Charles Schumer, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have been adviocating for the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund for years.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Bipartisan legislation to permanently reauthorize and finance the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund has been introduced in both chambers of Congress, the bills’ authors announced on Friday.
According to U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan), Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn and Manhattan), and Peter King (R-L.I.), the measure would ensure that Sept. 11 first responders who become sick with certified Sept. 11 illnesses in the future would be covered by the VCF program.
Earlier this month, VCF Special Master Rupa Bhattacharyya said that the repository that was created to provide compensation for anyone (or a personal representative of a deceased individual) who suffered physical harm or was killed as a result of the terrorist-related aircraft crashes of Sept. 11, 2001, or the debris removal efforts that took place in the immediate aftermath of those crashes, may run out of money prior to its end date of Dec. 18, 2020.
“Thousdands of firefighters, police officers, federal and local law enforcement officers, medical workers, construction workers, and other heroes risked their lives for us after we were attacked on 9/11. They didn’t back down when we needed them, and now, as cancer rates in the 9/11 first responder community are higher than ever and the 9/11 death toll continues to rise 17 years after the attacks, Congress needs to stand up for them,” Gillibrand said. “We simply cannot turn our backs on our 9/11 heroes and let the Victim Compensation Fund expire. I urge my colleagues to do the right thing, protect our heroes and their families, and pass this bipartisan bill to permanently reauthorize the VCF now. Anything less would send a cruel message to our heroes and their families that Congress is shrugging their shoulders at their suffering. We can and must pass this vitally important bipartisan bill now.”
According to the special master, the VCF has expended more than $2.5 billion since its 2015 reauthorization; it has more than $3 billion in funding remaining with just under two-and-a-half years left to go.
“Nationwide, brave 9/11 responders and survivors put their lives on the line at Ground Zero. Because of their exposure to toxins they continue to fight serious illnesses. We have come too far and in order to ensure that our 9/11 heroes receive the very best medical care and treatment we must enlist political support from all regions and parties,” King added.
