Congresses passes Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act

Press Release

The United States Congress has voted to extend the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act as part of a major spending bill that now heads to the President's desk to be signed into law. The bill will extend the World Trade Center Health Program to 2090, and provide full compensation to survivors and first responders through the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

The two programs were in the process of shutting down after Congress missed a September 30 reauthorization deadline. In the end, 68 Senators, and 272 House Members backed the bill.

"Our courageous first responders stepped up when our country needed them the most .  During the September 11thattacks, thousands of brave first responders sacrificed their safety for the good of our country and as a result have been forced to battle serious health issues," said U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). "In New Jersey, over 5,000 survivors and first responders still require medical treatment because of their exposure in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. The permanent extension of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act will enable us to give these courageous Americans the respect and care they rightly deserve."

"As someone who first introduced the Zadroga Act and had to fight to pass it that first time, I am thrilled that we are fulfilling our moral obligation as a grateful nation to support our first responders and send a powerful message to all future first responders that we will have their backs as they do ours," said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ). "This should have been obvious from the start. Our first-responders are always here for us -- and we must be here for them. It would have been unconscionable to go home to celebrate the holidays with our families without finally telling our first responders -- in the name of New Jersey's Jim Zadroga -- that we will never forget what they did for our fellow citizens and this nation on that day that changed the world."

"After months of tireless work by our 9/11 first responders, these brave men and women can finally feel secure that they will have healthcare for the rest of their lives. This victory belongs to them," said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. "And while this should have been an easy moral question for Congress with an obvious answer, our first responders were more than ready to stand up and fight for what they deserve, and today they won. This is an extraordinary group of men and women, and I am honored to represent them."

"I thank and congratulate our 9/11 first responders for their tireless efforts, which culminated in victory today. I am proud to have waged this fight with them," said Congressman Pallone (D-NJ). "With our first responders -- at Ground Zero, in the halls of Congress and in the shadow of the Capitol -- we let the world know that when heroes answer the call for help when we need them most, our country must have their back."

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