Weiner, Gillibrand And Colleagues Push For Senate Passage Of 9/11 Health And Compensation Act

Press Release

On Monday, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D -- Queens and Brooklyn), Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles Schumer, along with their Congressional colleagues and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, urged the Senate to pass the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which will provide needed health care to first responders who assisted in the cleanup and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

Supporters of the legislation used the press conference in Washington to highlight the sacrifices made by first responders by unveiling the badges of NYPD first responders who later died from 9/11-related illnesses.

The House has already passed the legislation, but it is currently stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition. GOP senators remain opposed to the bill even though residents of every single state in the country answered the call to help in the recovery efforts in the days following 9/11, and despite the fact that the legislation would be entirely paid for by closing a corporate tax loophole.

If the bill fails to pass the Senate before the New Year, lawmakers will have to start from scratch with a new, Republican-led Congress.

"I fear this is the last chance to pass this bill," Weiner said. "The heroes who rushed to help their neighbors on 9/11 have waited far too long. How many more badges do we need to see before we give these men and women the care they deserve?"

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