James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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You know, I have heard some people describe this bill as an entitlement bill, as if people are lining up to get this benefit. Like someone would really want to be on the list of people eligible to get the money that's eligible under this bill to get the health care. The idea that someone would volunteer or be eager to get the benefits that, in order to get them, you have to have a stew of toxic dust in your lungs, so much that you can't breathe normally, and you cough. And when you hear that 9/11 cough in New York, everyone knows it.

The idea that it's open-ended--no, it's actually a pretty close-ended program in the most final sense of the word, in that many people who have the illnesses that we are trying to treat with this legislation are dying. There are people in this Chamber who are watching these proceedings and those that are home who once upon a time were the most vigorous, fit people imaginable. And it was because of that vigor and that fitness that they went down to Ground Zero on September 11. They didn't ask to be chosen. They didn't fill out a form. They didn't even wear protective gear. They went down because they felt it was their obligation. They didn't just come from Lower Manhattan. They didn't just come from New York.

As I've said many times, if you were in New York the days after September 11, the streets were clogged with parked ambulances and firetrucks and cars, every license plate imaginable. Those people aren't asking for anything beyond just being able to cure the diseases that they got because they served. That's what this is about.

To my colleagues who oppose this, yeah, I imagine there are 100 different ways you can describe it and you can look at line 7 and page 6 and come up with some reason to be against it. But I would ask my colleagues to take a step back. And every single one of us on September 11 stood up in our districts and said, We are not going to forget the commitment that we made that day. Well, this is the moment. You can't stand up in your district on September 11 and say you won't forget, and have a red light next to your name today. It just doesn't wash. This is the day we repay our debts.

You want to call it an entitlement bill? Okay, they are entitled. They are entitled to our care. They are entitled to our respect. They are entitled to the health care that they need, and they're entitled to a ``yes'' vote today. Let's give it to them.

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You know, here in Washington, there are a couple of different ways you can kill a bill. One is the honest way--you vote ``no.'' Put your card in, you press the ``no'' vote. It shows ``no'' up on the board. Another way you can kill legislation in this town is by offering up amendments or offering up procedures and offering up confusion about the bill, that it goes down for that reason and you don't quite have your fingerprints on it.

Mr. Lee's an honorable man, he's a good man. But I have to tell you it as simply as I can. If you vote for his motion to recommit, the bill dies. If you vote for this motion that says, essentially, we're going to take out the money for the care, it doesn't matter how many 9/11 events you go to, doesn't matter how many times you send out press releases that say you care, if you vote for this motion, you vote to kill the bill, period.

And there's a lot of talk about what's in it. You want to relitigate the health care bill? Okay. We're going to get to do that the first Tuesday in November. People are going to be talking, oh, the health care bill is a good bill or bad bill. Let's do that later. Let's do the politics later. Let's do the right thing now. Let's try to take care of the people in this bill with money to do it.

I understand this is a political town and we're in the midst of a political season, but can't we look around? Can't we, at this moment, look around and say this isn't the time for a parliamentary move or a clever motion to recommit?

My colleagues, when you come down here, the only way you can go home and say that you care for the victims of September 11 is if you vote a ``no'' on this motion and a ``yes'' on final passage. That's it.

The people in this room and back home are too smart to be fooled by anything else. ``I want it paid for this way.'' ``I want it paid for that way.''

As Mr. Waxman just said, if you pass this amendment, it essentially says, We are going to go back and argue about the health care bill again. What is next? Are we going to go argue abortion or immigration? No, let's not do that anymore. Well, if we are going to do it, let's do it in November on elections. We are going to have TV commercials and ads. Now let's just do the right thing. I want to see every Republican and every Democrat say, You know what, if there is one thing we agree upon, it's that the people who gave up their health on September 11 and the days after deserve our care and our respect. We need a ``no'' vote, my colleagues.

I have to tell you something, I have worked with the people who were advocating for 9/11 health for 9 years, and some of them are here. They are too smart. They are going to know that if you vote in favor of this motion to recommit, plain and simple, you are voting to kill this bill. We are not going to let it happen. Nine years is too long.

But I'll tell you something about time, it's also pretty darn close to election day. In 434 districts in this country are people who have a 9/11 cough. I hope they are watching this debate, and I hope they watch not just final passage, which hopefully we get to, because if this Lee amendment passes, this bill is going down. We can't let that happen.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the motion to recommit and a ``yes'' vote on passage.

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