[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S1398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          9/11 HEALTH FUNDING

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Mr. President, we rise today to engage in a colloquy 
regarding funding for the 9/11 health program. The chairman has been a 
tireless supporter of the 9/11 World Trade Center health program at the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's, CDC, National Institute 
for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH. This program has helped our 
first responders who bravely rushed in on September 11 and thousands of 
others who were in the area on that terrible day.
  The 2011 continuing resolution proposed by Senator Inouye that the 
Senate will vote on today makes fiscally prudent adjustments to our 
Nation's spending, but I wanted to clarify with the Senator, through 
this colloquy, that none of the spending reductions in the CR will 
impact the current health care screening and treatment for first 
responders, survivors, residents, students and others related to the 
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
  Mr. LAUTENBERG. As the Senator knows, we successfully enacted a 
bipartisan bill to provide mandatory funding to take care of the first 
responders and others who became sick from toxic fumes, dust, and smoke 
after the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. This new law was our 
Christmas miracle. It is very important to me and my constituents that 
there is no disruption in the care that eligible responders and victims 
can receive.
  Mr. HARKIN. I thank the Senators. The Senator is absolutely correct, 
the 2011 continuing resolution that was proposed by Senator Inouye will 
not reduce any services or treatment available to responders in the 
World Trade Center Health Program. In fact, we have been assured by the 
staff at HHS that there are sufficient funds for treatment and 
screening of the responders and victims to continue without 
interruption.
  Mr. SCHUMER. It's my understanding that the fiscal year 2010 
appropriation included $70.7 million for the World Trade Center Health 
Program, but that the 2011 continuing resolution proposed by Senator 
Inouye does not specify an amount for the implementation of the new 
law.
  Mr. HARKIN. Yes, the $70.7 million provided to the program in the 
fiscal year 2010 omnibus remains available to NIOSH to use until 
expended. It is our understanding that $13 million remains of that 
$70.7 million and that it will be used to continue access to the 
program.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. I thank the Senator for that clarification. I too am 
very concerned about continuity in the World Trade Center Health 
Program. The mandatory funding will start on July 1, 2011, and it is 
critically important that the transition be as smooth as possible. I 
would like to thank the Senator for ensuring that this program will be 
able to continue under the 2011 CR, and I would like to ask, on behalf 
of all of us and our constituents, that we work together to ensure that 
the fiscal year 2011 discretionary funds support the full and timely 
implementation of the mandatory program. It is very important that 
funding is provided to ensure that NIOSH and the World Trade Center 
monitoring and treatment programs can seamlessly continue their work.
  Mr. HARKIN. Yes, I commit to working with the Senator. I commit to 
the Senators that we will specifically allocate in the CR that will 
pass the Senate the amount of funds that are necessary to ensure a 
smooth transition in July.
  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. I thank the Chairman for that clarification and for 
ensuring that these American heroes were not forgotten. I hope we can 
all work together each year on this important program.

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