[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 26, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





           SUPPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 11 VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND

  (Mr. ROSE of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ROSE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge all my 
colleagues to support the Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent 
Authorization of the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund Act 
because it is the right thing to do.
  I would like to thank my fellow New Yorkers Carolyn Maloney, Pete 
King, and Jerry Nadler, who have led this fight for years, and Lee 
Zeldin, who will work with me to build bipartisan support amongst the 
freshman class.
  Because 9/11 wasn't just an attack on New York City; Washington, 
D.C.; and a field in western Pennsylvania; 9/11 was an attack on our 
entire country. This was an attack on the United States of America and 
everything that we stand for.
  But what thousands of these 9/11 heroes and their families now face 
is being forgotten because the Victims Compensation Fund, which 
supports these families and these heroes in all 50 States, is running 
out of money and cutting benefits by 50 to 70 percent.
  That is wrong. And if we fail to make this right, shame on us. Shame 
on anyone who says ``never forget'' and then turns their backs and 
pretends this doesn't affect their State or their district or they're 
suddenly fiscally responsible.
  Shame on anyone who says that we can't afford to do this while we 
spend trillions of dollars on bombs in Afghanistan.
  When it comes to doing what is right, it is about keeping our 
promises and honoring those who put their lives on the line and didn't 
ask for anything in return.
  Now is the chance to put action behind the words ``never forget.''

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