[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 117 (Friday, July 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H5743-H5750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NEVER FORGET THE HEROES: JAMES ZADROGA, RAY PFEIFER, AND LUIS ALVAREZ
PERMANENT AUTHORIZATION OF THE SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND
ACT
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1327) to extend authorization for the September 11th Victim
Compensation Fund of 2001 through fiscal year 2090, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H. R. 1327
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Never Forget the Heroes:
James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent
Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
Act''.
SEC. 2. SEPTEMBER 11TH VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND OF 2001.
(a) Authorization and Funding.--Section 410 of the Air
Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C.
40101 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c), by striking ``$4,600,000,000'' and
all that follows through ``expended'' and inserting ``such
sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2019 and each fiscal
year thereafter through fiscal year 2092, to remain available
until expended''; and
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ``Upon completion of all
payments under this title'' and inserting ``On October 1,
2092, or at such time thereafter as all funds are expended''.
(b) Extension of Limitation on Claim Filing.--Section
405(a)(3)(B) of the Air Transportation Safety and System
Stabilization Act (40 U.S.C. 401010 note) is amended by
striking ``the date that is 5 years after the date of
enactment of the James Zadroga 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund
Reauthorization Act'' and inserting ``October 1, 2090''.
(c) Compensation Reduced by Special Master Due to Lack of
Funding.--Section 406(d)(2) of the Air Transportation Safety
and System Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(D) Compensation reduced by special master due to
insufficient funding.--
``(i) In general.--In any claim in Group B as described in
section 405(a)(3)(C)(iii) in which, prior to the enactment of
the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and
Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th
Victim Compensation Fund Act, the Special Master had advised
the claimant that the amount of compensation has been reduced
on the basis of insufficient funding, the Special Master
shall, in the first fiscal year beginning after sufficient
funding becomes available under such Act, pay to the claimant
an amount that is, as determined by the Special Master, equal
to the difference between--
``(I) the amount the claimant would have been paid under
this title if sufficient funding was available to the Special
Master at
[[Page H5744]]
the time the Special Master determined the amount due the
claimant under this title; and
``(II) the amount the claimant was paid under this title.
``(ii) Definitions.--For purposes of this subparagraph:
``(I) Insufficient funding.--The term `insufficient
funding' means funding--
``(aa) that is available to the Special Master under
section 410(c) on the day before the date of enactment of the
Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis
Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim
Compensation Fund Act for purposes of compensating claims in
Group B as described in section 405(a)(3)(C)(iii); and
``(bb) that the Special Master determines is insufficient
for purposes of compensating all such claims and complying
with subparagraph (A).
``(II) Sufficient funding.--The term `sufficient funding'
means funding--
``(aa) made available to the Special Master for purposes of
compensating claims in Group B as described in section
405(a)(3)(C)(iii) through an Act of Congress that is enacted
after the date on which the amount of the claim described in
clause (i) has been reduced; and
``(bb) that the Special Master determines is sufficient for
purposes of compensating all claims in such Group B.''.
(d) Limitations on Noneconomic Loss.--Section 405(b)(7)(A)
of the of the Air Transportation Safety and System
Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is amended--
(1) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I)
and (II) respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly;
(2) by striking ``With respect to'' and inserting the
following:
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in clause (ii), with
respect to''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Exception.--The Special Master may exceed the
applicable limitation in clause (i) for a claim in Group B as
described in subsection (a)(3)(C)(iii) if the Special Master
determines that the claim presents special circumstances.''.
(e) Adjustment of Annual Gross Income Limitation.--Section
405(b)(7)(B)(ii) of the Air Transportation Safety and System
Stabilization Act (40 U.S.C. 40101 note) is amended by
striking ``$200,000.'' and inserting ``the annual gross
income limitation. The annual gross income limitation in
effect on the date of enactment of the Never Forget the
Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez
Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim
Compensation Fund Act is $200,000. The Special Master shall
periodically adjust that annual gross income limitation to
account for inflation.''.
SEC. 3. APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL MASTER AND DEPUTY SPECIAL
MASTERS.
Section 404 of the Air Transportation Safety and System
Stabilization Act (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Appointment of Special Master and Deputy Special
Masters.--The Attorney General may appoint a Special Master
and no more than two Deputy Special Masters without regard to
the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing
appointments in the competitive service. Any such employee
shall serve at the pleasure of the Attorney General. The
Attorney General shall fix the annual salary of the Special
Master and the Deputy Special Masters.''.
SEC. 4. BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
(a) Statutory PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of
this Act shall not be entered on either PAYGO scorecard
maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of the Statutory Pay-As-
You-Go Act of 2010.
(b) Senate PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of this
Act shall not be entered on any PAYGO scorecard maintained
for purposes of section 4106 of House Concurrent Resolution
71 (115th Congress).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Nadler) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, today, this body will, for what I hope is the final
time, meet its moral obligation to provide for survivors and responders
suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.
This obligation is two-fold.
First, on September 11, 2001, it was not just the city of New York
and the Pentagon that were attacked, it was the entire country. A
national attack has always required a national response. That is why
responders from around the country rushed to New York to aid in the
rescue and recovery effort in the immediate aftermath. Today, sick
responders and survivors live in all 50 States. This is a national
problem, and Congress must provide a national solution.
Second, tens of thousands of responders and survivors are sick
because the Federal Government, in its rush to get Wall Street
reopened, ignored the evidence and the expert opinions of scientists.
The then-head of the Environmental Protection Agency repeatedly assured
us that the air around the World Trade Center was ``safe to breath.''
We knew it wasn't, but the Federal Government kept insisting it was.
And, compounding the Federal Government's culpability was its failure
to conduct a comprehensive cleanup of the environmental disaster
created when the World Trade Center towers collapsed. For example, the
EPA administrator told the public that asbestos could be cleaned from
apartments with a damp cloth and a wet mop.
Based on these false assurances, students were sent back to schools
that had been contaminated with the toxic dust cloud without
ventilation systems being cleaned first. People kept working to clear
the pile for months with no protective equipment. Quite simply, the
Federal Government lied, and now tens of thousands of people are sick
with 9/11-related illnesses. It now falls to us--in the words of
Abraham Lincoln--``to care for him who shall have borne the battle and
for his widow and for his orphan.''
Three times, Congress has come together to provide a health program
and compensation for the victims of 9/11 through a victim compensation
fund, or VCF. Most recently, in 2015, we made the World Trade Center
Health Program effectively permanent, extended to 2090, but
reauthorized the VCF, the victim compensation fund, for only 5 years.
As we heard in a Judiciary Committee hearing last month, a 5-year
authorization was not nearly long enough. People are still getting sick
as diseases, such as cancer, often emerge only after long latency
periods. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that, in
the coming years, cancer claims will represent 63 percent of all claims
before the VCF, up from 44 percent today.
Further, as the number of sick responders and survivors continues to
rise, the limited resources Congress provided to the VCF have proven
inadequate and now thousands of families are facing up to 70 percent
cuts in compensation.
{time} 1045
I refuse to accept that. Every sick responder and survivor should be
treated with the same dignity and compassion, regardless of when they
became sick, and no one should be forced to spend their last days
walking the Halls of Congress begging us to reauthorize this program.
That is why we are here today, to pass what I hope will be the last
authorization we ever need for the VCF.
This bipartisan legislation, with over 330 cosponsors, will reverse
all of the cuts in compensation and make those families whole. It will
extend the authorization for the VCF through 2092, substantially the
same timeline as the World Trade Center Health Program, and make
technical improvements to the program.
We have asked so much of our responders and survivors. It is time for
us to give them the peace of mind they deserve and pass this bill once
and for all.
Finally, I want to take a moment to recognize the three men after
whom we named this bill.
James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez passed away after
battling 9/11-related illnesses. A month ago, Detective Alvarez
testified before the Judiciary Committee, just 24 hours before what was
supposed to be his 69th chemotherapy treatment, a treatment he,
ultimately, was too sick to receive. Two weeks ago, he passed away.
Like every responder and survivor of 9/11, these three men kept
fighting for this program, even when they knew it was too late for
them. That is the spirit of 9/11. This bill is now their namesake, and
we vote today in their name.
[[Page H5745]]
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, the attacks on 9/11, designed
to murder as many innocent people as possible, were acts of war against
the United States. It resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 people and
left a smoldering pile of toxic debris in New York. But thousands of
noble and courageous first responders scaled that smoldering pile and
exhumed the dead with dignity. Today, the site includes the National
September 11 Memorial.
It is fitting that Congress do more than memorialize. We must also
provide. The 9/11 first responders, like all first responders, deserve
to have their sacrifices recognized through programs that reasonably
limit their damage to their own selves and families and the sacrifice
they entailed.
This legislation would reauthorize the current September 11 Victim
Compensation Fund, the medical program covering needed healthcare for
those affected by the 9/11 incident, which has already been extended to
the year 2090 in legislation enacted many years ago.
This legislation before us today would extend a separate program to
2090, namely, the program designed to compensate the same victims for
lost earnings and other losses they suffered as a result of the 9/11
attack. The compensation will, of course, cost money, recognizing that
it is not mean-spirited in any way, but simply a necessity in a
responsible budgeting process where limited Federal dollars and
specific funds must be allocated in a formal budget composed of
specific dollar amounts divided up by a program.
Sadly, this bill comes to the floor without any provision to pay for
the program, in fact, no provision at all. This bill, according to the
Congressional Budget Office, will cost $10.2 billion, and that is
during the first decade of the seven decades that this bill extends.
I, like the chairman, would have preferred never to have to touch
this bill again because it is in honor of those who served us, but,
unfortunately, his request that he made that this will be the last time
is not going to be true because of, inherently, the way the bill is
being passed today. We did not sit down and get this done. The Senate
will then have to do that as we go forward.
So the process is, frankly, unfulfilling, although we need to
continue to move forward. So as we look forward to this, it is
unfortunate that we have chosen today to put risk on this compensation,
given the fact that the Senate has got to now be a part of this
solution.
While the fiscal impact of this legislation will have to be addressed
before it is signed into law, what is clear, though, is our collective
duty to see that our first responders are treated fairly and in
accordance with what they have already given of themselves to a
grateful nation.
I look forward to supporting this legislation, and that is why I am a
cosponsor of this legislation. I urge my colleagues to do so as well.
But it is sad to know that we will have to touch this again. And time
will pass before this happens because the Senate will have to take this
up and have to do what we should have done here and find that pay-for
in a bicameral and bipartisan way so that we don't have to touch this
again and those who are suffering will know that this body is committed
to them.
I commend my chairman, and I am glad that we are on this bill
together. I just wish that we didn't have to touch it again, but we are
going to have to. But that is not going to stand in the way, today, of
us honoring the names on this bill and honoring every face that this
bill will help for those who served us and our Nation.
I fully commend this bill to the body of this House as we move
forward today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), one of the chief sponsors of the
bill.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the
gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R.
1327, the Never Forget the Heroes Act, and to thank the 332 colleagues
of mine who have cosponsored this historic, bipartisan legislation.
When the planes hit on 9/11, our first responders did not hesitate.
Firefighters, police officers, medical, construction workers, and
volunteers from all around the country rushed to Ground Zero, the
Pentagon, and the Shanksville crash sites. It was a national response
to a national terrorist attack.
We lost nearly 3,000 lives on that day, and in the nearly 18 years
since the attack, the death toll continues to climb.
We, as a nation, have a moral obligation, a double moral obligation,
to take care of the people who took care of us and those who take care
of them now--because they cannot work--first and foremost, for their
service that day and in the days and weeks and months to follow; and
secondly, because of the toxic lie our government told them: that it
was safe to work on the site when it, clearly, was not. Because of
their exposure to toxins, many of them have cancers and are sick and
dying.
In 2015, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and
Compensation Act, making the World Trade Center Health Program
permanent, but it extended the Victims Compensation Fund only to 2020.
Not only is the fund about to expire, but making matters worse, it is
also running out of money.
In February, the special master announced that, due to more and more
claims, the fund does not have enough money to make it to 2020. They
have had to reduce payouts by 50 to 70 percent, and this is devastating
for those who depend on this fund. That is why we need to pass the
Never Forget the Heroes Act today to fully and permanently fund the
Victims Compensation Fund.
These heroes and their families cannot wait any longer, and I hope
they will never have to come back to this Congress again to ask again
and again for help and support for their healthcare and their families.
We need to make this fund permanent.
If you remember 9/11, you remember that we as a nation vowed that we
would never forget. None of us in this coalition will rest until we
have turned that promise into a law to help the heroes who were there
to help us.
I join my colleagues, Jerry Nadler and Peter King, the lead sponsors
of this bill. I thank them for their dedication and work. I thank my
staff, and I thank the heroes who are named in our bill, Luis Alvarez,
Ray Pfeifer, and James Zadroga, for their inspiration.
I urge my colleagues to stand with the heroes and vote for this bill.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 5
minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).
Mr. KING of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for
recognizing me, and let me also thank the gentleman for the support
that the gentleman has given to this bill.
When the gentleman from Georgia went on the bill, it was a major
turning point, so I thank the gentleman for that. It also shows that
this is not a partisan or regional issue. It affects people in all
parties, all districts in the United States, and all States throughout
the country.
This was a major effort which the country came together on after 9/
11, and as a result of that, there have been casualties and deaths from
all over the country. Now, in my own district, I had 150 people killed,
but I believe there are going to be even more than that by the time
these illnesses run their course.
There are so many people in the prime of life who have been cut down
from these 9/11 cancers, blood disorders, and the various intestinal
tract illnesses. It has just been a horrible experience to go through
for all of these people and their families.
But today is a major milestone on the road to full justice for all
those who risked their lives both on the day of 9/11 and in the days,
weeks, and months after 9/11: those who worked down at the pile of
Ground Zero, those who risked their lives then and are now suffering
the consequences of that and those who will suffer the consequences in
the years ahead. These are late-developing cancers, and that is why it
is so important that this bill be passed.
Let me stress again how bipartisan this is. I commend Jerry Nadler
and Carolyn Maloney for the outstanding work they have done. This goes
back more than 15 years that this fight has
[[Page H5746]]
gone on in one dimension or another. Hopefully, this will be the final
struggle we have. Many details have to be worked out, but this should
be it, today, as far as finally doing what has to be done for those men
and women from 9/11.
Let me also thank the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. She was instrumental in
getting this passed back in 2010, and I want to thank the gentlewoman
for keeping her commitment to making sure we got it done this year on a
bipartisan basis.
Also, we have people here today like Jake Lemonda from the UFOA, the
Uniformed Fire Officers Association, and Gerald Fitzgerald from the
Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York. We have people,
again, on both sides.
I want to thank my colleagues, Congressman Lee Zeldin and Congressman
Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, for their efforts.
We have to, again, make sure that the message goes out to the
American people that this is not a regional bill. This is something
that involves the entire Nation. This involves the commitment of the
United States to always stand with and be with those who put their
lives on the line for the rest of us.
So, again, I can't emphasize enough the importance of this. The men
and women out there, those people in our districts that we see, those
people who we see day in and day out, week in and week out, those who
are suffering, those who have had their benefits cut because of the
shortage in the fund, that can never be allowed to happen. We have to
go forward.
And, again, I want to emphasize that this is bipartisan. This
involves the entire Nation, and it is important that we target those
who are the enemies here. The terrorists who attacked on
9/11 brought this about. They are the ones who caused this.
It is the men and women who responded, who went back down to that
pile day after day after day, week after week, month after month, doing
what they could in the rescue and recovery effort, who showed unusual
courage. The least we should do is show what is expected of us, and
that is to do what has to be done to make sure that they and their
families receive the compensation that they need and are entitled to.
This is part of the lasting debt America has to the men and women of 9/
11 and those who worked in the days, weeks, and months afterwards.
Madam Chair, I urge full support of this legislation. Hopefully, when
it goes to the Senate, it will be acted on quickly. The victims of 9/11
have been waiting too long as it is. We can't allow a day to go by. I
urge adoption of the bill.
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will remind all persons in the
gallery that they are here as guests of the House and that any
manifestation of approval or disapproval of proceedings is in violation
of the rules of the House.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield 1
minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of
the House, someone who has done more for this than anyone else. Without
the gentlewoman's strong support, this bill never would have passed
back in 2010.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for
his kind remarks and for his tremendous leadership.
From the first minutes of the assault on our country, Chairman Nadler
was there to meet the needs of our country as we protected, but also to
meet the needs of those who rushed in to save lives.
I want to also salute Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who has worn a
firefighters jacket through the heat of the summer now, but all spring,
until this bill was brought up on the floor. I thank the gentlewoman
for not only wearing the jacket, but for her relentless, persistent
advocacy on behalf of our 9/11 heroes.
I am so proud that this time this bill is bipartisan, and I thank the
distinguished gentleman, Mr. King from New York, for his leadership,
for his recognition of the bipartisan nature of what we are doing, what
we did then and what we are doing now. I thank the gentleman, Mr. King,
for his leadership as well.
H.R. 1327 is the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer,
and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim
Compensation Fund Act--a big name, a tall order, and long overdue.
{time} 1100
When we talk about 9/11, we tread on sacred ground. On that dark day,
our Nation suffered loss we could never have imagined, and we witnessed
heroism that we will never forget.
Because of our heroes, 9/11 is etched in our Nation's history not
only as a day of profound loss and tragedy but also a day of powerful
unity and resilience. On September 11 and in its aftermath, our brave
first responders were there for us. We must always be there for them.
The Never Forget the Heroes Act takes long-overdue action to provide
the financial security and support that 9/11 heroes, survivors, and
families deserve. Today, we are honored to take this action to ensure
that all people suffering from illnesses related to 9/11 or by the
debris removal and cleanup efforts in their aftermath and their
families get the full awards they have been promised.
It is critically important that we restore the compensation to those
hit by drastic, unfair cuts and ensure that their claims will be fully
paid in the future.
One of the reasons that we have to have this additional legislation
is because there are so many more diagnoses of cancer and the rest that
followed.
This bill honors the heroes after which it is named, James Zadroga,
Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez. Those heroes showed courage beyond
measure not only by running toward danger that day but by giving their
last days to fight for all harmed on 9/11.
We are blessed by the presence of members of their families and other
advocates, including first responders suffering from 9/11-related
illnesses, here in the Capitol today. They have done the outside
organizing as we did the inside maneuvering. They have made the
complete difference.
I thank Jon Stewart for raising the profile of this issue so that
when we pass the bill here today, it will be received positively by the
United States Senate.
Two weeks ago, as we all know, America lost Luis Alvarez, an NYPD
detective and advocate who died from 9/11-related cancer. It was a holy
moment for us when he testified before Congress last month before he
was scheduled to receive his 69th round of chemotherapy. He said then
to Congress: ``You all said you would never forget. Well, I'm here to
make sure that you don't.''
With this bill, we honor the sacrifice of Luis and many other heroes
and say: We will never forget.
Madam Speaker, I urge a strong, overwhelming, bipartisan vote for
this bill for our responders, survivors, and their families and do so
with eternal gratitude to them for what they have done. I urge a
``yes'' vote.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin).
Mr. ZELDIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his
cosponsorship and his leadership with this issue.
Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our 9/11 victims, first
responders, and their families, urging my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on
the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis
Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim
Compensation Fund Act.
First responders who worked on the pile day and night, aiding in the
search, rescue, and cleanup efforts, were breathing in toxic debris and
ash that are now known to have caused over 50 different types of
cancer.
In 2011, the Zadroga Act was signed into law to help them. Five years
later, it was permanently reauthorized and included $4.6 billion for
the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the very fund that we are here
debating today.
In February, the special master of the fund reported that current
funding ``may be insufficient to compensate all claims,'' reporting
that they would have to cut claims by up to 70 percent.
As was noted, in the aftermath of
9/11, the EPA told New Yorkers and these first responders that the air
at Ground Zero and the surrounding area
[[Page H5747]]
was safe to breathe. The Federal Government was wrong.
Madam Speaker, this was not a hurricane or a flood or a tornado. This
was the largest terrorist attack ever on American soil.
As Jon Stewart testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee,
these terrorists weren't saying ``death to Tribeca.'' This was an
attack on all of us as Americans. We all should be voting ``yes'' today
as Americans.
Yet, we are forcing sick first responders to come to Washington,
D.C., to beg for benefits that they earned and were promised.
Last month, Luis Alvarez was one of those first responders. After his
appearance in D.C., he rushed home for his 69th round of chemo.
Unfortunately, he immediately ended up in hospice and passed away.
He shouldn't have had to come down here to fight on behalf of all of
these other victims and first responders in the first place.
Month after month, year after year, going back to the first time the
Zadroga Act was passed, how many first responders have made dozens of
trips, educating, advocating, and passionately asking Members of
Congress for their support?
Like so many other 9/11 first responders, this was not Lou's second
or third time. Unfortunately, it was his last.
Lou Alvarez was an extraordinary man. What is truly extraordinary is
that his spirit and grit represent that of each and every one of our 9/
11 first responders. Think of all of those firefighters and others who
rushed up to the towers when everyone else was running away. Think of
those who ignored orders telling them to vacate the tower because they
would not leave behind their captain.
The experience for us in the New York area is that when we meet
someone when we are back home in our districts, day after day after
day, people who looked larger than life, healthy and fit on 9/11, after
going through multiple rounds of chemo, they are losing thei battle.
Their bodies are riddled with all forms of cancer because they exposed
themselves to that harm when the Federal Government told them it was
safe.
I thank everyone who has worked so hard to get this bill passed,
including my colleagues Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, Pete King, and
others. I would also like to recognize the FealGood Foundation; Jon
Stewart; Shepard Smith, for his reporting; and so many others fighting
tooth and nail to make passage of this bill a reality.
Madam Speaker, I urge every single one of my colleagues in this House
to vote ``yes,'' and I urge the Senate to take up this bill
immediately.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Engel), who is the distinguished chairman of the Foreign
Affairs Committee.
Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding to me.
Madam Speaker, we all remember where we were on that fateful day of
Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Today, we finally make permanent our
Nation's commitment to care for the heroes of
9/11 and their families.
We all know that within the first few seconds of the horrific attacks
on the World Trade Center, our brave first responders rushed toward the
wreckage to help their fellow Americans. As has been said before, many
of the
9/11 first responders and the survivors are now living with serious
illnesses due to toxic pollutants that filled the air surrounding
Ground Zero. Many of those friends and advocates are no longer with us.
Congress created the Victim Compensation Fund in 2001, which
committed to those Americans and their families that we will take care
of those who rushed to the scene. I was proud to be an original
cosponsor of the initial bill and its subsequent reauthorizations in
2010 and 2015.
Today, H.R. 1327 keeps Congress' promise to our 9/11 responders and
survivors.
I have never seen the New York delegation work this hard and together
as we did for this bill. I thank Mr. Nadler, Mrs. Maloney, and all the
people for the hard work and their leadership on this. We hope it gets
passed soon in the other body.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick).
Mr. FITZPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I stand here today as a former FBI
agent who worked in New York City side by side with these very people
we are seeking to protect today. We are here united with our colleagues
from both sides of the aisle to renew the 9/11 Victim Compensation
Fund.
Madam Speaker, as was said repeatedly on this floor, this matter is
urgent and cannot wait any longer.
On that fateful day nearly 18 years ago, American heroes rushed to
save their fellow citizens without regard for their own safety. They
paid a heavy price, with many today suffering from respiratory
illnesses from breathing in toxic dust at Ground Zero, dust that
contained lead, asbestos, mercury, and many other contaminants.
Just last month, our Nation mourned the loss of Detective Luis
Alvarez, who inspired us all with his visit to Capitol Hill this year.
His bravery and the bravery of all the people who sacrificed must be
honored appropriately. In his memory and to honor all the brave men and
women who saved lives that day, we must get this done.
Madam Speaker, as the vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers
Caucus--24 Democrats and 24 Republicans--we have endorsed this bill. We
worked very hard to get over the 290-cosponsor threshold to get this on
the Consensus Calendar. It currently stands at 332 cosponsors.
I thank Jon Stewart for elevating the profile of this bill. It was
incredibly important for its success.
I urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike, to come
together and support our Nation's heroes. ``Never forget'' must mean
never forget.
These are people who did the opposite of what we are all born with,
as far as our instincts go. For every single one of us, based on our
genetic DNA, are instincts are to run away from danger. These are men
and women who do the opposite. They run toward the danger at great
physical sacrifice and at great psychological and emotional sacrifice,
all in the name of serving a cause bigger than themselves.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this and make this
unanimous.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), who is the chairman of the
Democratic Caucus.
Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, I thank the chair for yielding and for
his tremendous leadership.
Since the tragedy on September 11, approximately 10,000 people have
been diagnosed with cancer related to toxic smoke and dust.
Approximately 15,000 people are suffering with asthma or other
respiratory illnesses. Approximately 10,000 people struggle with PTSD.
Almost 5,000 individuals are struggling with anxiety and depression.
More than 2,000 people have died since September 11.
The overwhelming majority of these individuals who are sick and
afflicted are 9/11 first responders.
The Victim Compensation Fund is expected to run out of money. In
order to take care of these brave heroes and individuals, we vowed as a
nation to never forget. That means looking after those brave men and
women who sacrificed so much in the days, weeks, months, and years
after September 11.
Support this legislation.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).
Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member and the chairman
of the full committee for their work on this issue, and I thank all
those who worked on what has been a bipartisan effort. This is exactly
the type of substantive issue that we should be focused on in the
Judiciary Committee.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked America and our way of
life. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks in New York, northern
Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
When the shocking images of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
first appeared on television, first responders were already on the
scene. In the weeks and months that followed, these first responders
and construction workers worked hard to find victims and to clear
debris.
At the time, they were told the air was safe to breathe. They and the
American people found out later that wasn't true. The health impacts
for
[[Page H5748]]
those who worked and lived in lower Manhattan in the months after the
attacks are real and, in many cases, have been crippling and even
deadly.
That is why Congress passed legislation in 2010 to open the 9/11
Victim Compensation Fund to first responders, construction workers, and
others. It covers the cost of treating illnesses associated with
exposure to toxins following the attacks.
During the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil
Rights and Civil Liberties hearing last month, we heard from those
suffering from illnesses tied to their service after the 9/11 attacks.
Those who testified moved me and the Nation as they discussed the
illnesses that have beset them nearly two decades after the attacks.
I am pleased to be a cosponsor of legislation to renew the 9/11
Victim Compensation Fund permanently. In honor of the sacrifices of
James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez, this bill is called the
Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez
Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
Act. It honors thousands of others like them who have succumbed to
their 9/11-related illnesses.
Madam Speaker, now is the time for us to move this bill. I urge the
Senate to pass it after the House, and I urge the President to sign it.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York has 9\1/2\
minutes remaining. The gentleman from Georgia has 5\1/2\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell).
Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Speaker, I was a congressional
intern on Capitol Hill when September 11 happened, and I saw my
colleagues go to the Capitol steps and sing, in a bipartisan fashion,
``God Bless America.'' I saw a generation of people go into service
because of what they saw our first responders do in New York,
Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., that day.
I am heartened to see today on this floor that we are uniting again
to stand up for every victim of what happened that day. I hope we can
get that passed in the Senate.
I want to honor and thank James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis
Alvarez for their work, as well as Jon Stewart. I thank him for
bringing attention to this. Also, I thank our colleague Carolyn
Maloney.
I really want to thank our chairman. This was Chairman Nadler's
district, and this has been continuing casework that the gentleman has
worked on. It has affected the gentleman, his staff, and his
constituents. I think it is fitting that the gentleman is the chairman
presiding over this today.
I am grateful the chairman has put the emotional effort and the force
of his office into making sure this happened. It means a lot to the
gentleman's constituents and us as colleagues to see his leadership.
{time} 1115
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings).
Mrs. DEMINGS. Madam Speaker, I retired from law enforcement 8 years
ago, but I am still amazed by and grateful for the men and women who
rush towards danger with little regard for their own safety.
First responders already do so much, but when there is a true
emergency, a crisis, there is no one else who can do the job. That is
why, when America was attacked on September 11, off-duty firefighters,
law enforcement officers, and medical professionals showed up, and they
joined their brothers and sisters on the front line, rushing into
burning buildings.
Being a first responder is not just what they do, it is who they are.
They have earned our unwavering and timely support. We cannot ask our
first responders to do this job while failing to cope with the
consequences.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical
legislation. Let us never forget our heroes.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).
Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, we
saw heroism and selflessness, especially the first responders who
rushed toward danger, rescued survivors, and then spent months cleaning
up the wreckage.
Their selflessness was on display again last month when first
responders encouraged us, Congress, to reauthorize the 9/11 Victim
Compensation Fund.
This Congress and I were particularly touched by Detective Luis
Alvarez, who traveled to Washington during the final days of his life.
He said: ``I'm doing okay, but there are others out there who aren't
doing okay.'' Detective Alvarez embodied the selflessness of so many.
On June 29, Detective Alvarez passed away, but he will be remembered
and counted among those who gave their life for us.
Before he died, he said: ``The government has to act like first
responders, you know, put politics aside and let's get this bill
done.''
Detective Alvarez is right, and today we vote to permanently
reauthorize VCF. First responders and their families must never again
face uncertainty about whether their country will be there for them.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I thank our chairwoman, Carolyn Maloney,
in particular, and Peter King. From the very beginning, they have been
steadfast. And I say to you, the angels are singing now.
We all know it took some kicking and screaming to get this fund
established in the first place, but we got it through because a lot of
people were here before that period of time and gave us that support.
Firefighters are always there, but the work isn't over. They need our
help. Last year, the fund announced that, due to a funding shortfall,
injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors will receive cuts to the
awards that they were expecting--big cuts, 50 percent, 70 percent--for
future claims. This is unacceptable.
So the all-clear sign after 9/11 from the Federal Government was
premature.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from New Jersey an
additional 30 seconds.
Mr. PASCRELL. We have here today, and we are here today to state, it
will never be clear until we help every first responder who has
suffered in running to the tragedy. We need to act now.
Originally, this program was named after my constituent, New York
Police Department Detective James Zadroga. His service was exemplary.
Our friends keep dying--Mr. Alvarez, Mr. Pfeifer. Ground Zero.
Today we show that citizens care. We represent the citizens.
Madam Speaker, I thank this body for bringing us here today.
Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand in support of the heroic men and
women who ran towards the falling towers on September 11, 2001. I rise
for those who labored that day and for months in the toxic plume of
Ground Zero. And I stand here for their families who have borne the
burden of that sacrifice.
We all know it took some kicking and screaming to get this fund
established. But we got it through and it has helped these brave
Americans focus on their personal health and well-being. It has been
critical.
But the work isn't over. They need our help again. Last year the fund
announced that due to a funding shortfall, injured and ill 9/11
responders and survivors will receive cuts to the awards that they were
expecting. These are big cuts: 50 percent for pending claims and 70
percent for future claims.
Unacceptable.
We must act to make whole the responders, survivors, and their
families. The words ``Never Forget'' can't be a bumper sticker--we need
to act now.
Thankfully, this bill extends the fund through 2090 and funds to
ensure our first responders get the care they need.
Originally this program was named after my constituent, NYPD
detective James Zadroga. His service was exemplary.
But our friends keep dying. We have added the names of NYPD detective
Alvarez and FDNY firefighter Pfeifer, both 9/11 heroes who passed away
from cancer and other health problems linked to Ground Zero. Their
efforts shined a spotlight on all who are sick and dying, and helped
get the needed care from Congress.
[[Page H5749]]
All three devoted their lives to helping others.
Finally, I want to thank Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney for her
tireless work getting this bill on the floor for a vote.
We cannot let another day pass to help these brave first responders.
I encourage my colleagues to vote yes and hope the Senate doesn't play
the same games we saw last time. Our first responders had and have
America's back. Today we show, we citizen Representatives have their
back.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman, and I thank him
for his unbelievable leadership, along with the gentlewoman from New
York, Carolyn Maloney, our dear friend, who wore the fireman's jacket
for so long, and Peter King.
I am delighted to have been a member of the Homeland Security
Committee in those early days, banging my fist and joining them in
saying it must be done.
And I thank those who signed the authorization--President Obama,
twice. And I say today, there should not be one single person who does
not vote ``yes'' on this.
We have a beautiful rendition of the World Trade Center. We rebuilt
that beautiful edifice. We must rebuild these lives.
I am reminded in an article by Luis Alvarez, in his final days, as he
was talking to his family, he said, ``I am on the pile.'' They asked
him what he is walking in walking on the pile, Ground Zero, where he
went time and time again.
And along with him, there were individual family members who came
before our committee, those who were desperately in need, and to hear
the special master say: I may have to cut their benefits 50 to 70
percent.
Lila Norstrom, who was a student, and, as well, Anesta Maria St. Rose
Henry, the widow of Candidus Henry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Lila Norstrom was a student, and she said no one
told them anything, but just go back to school.
Anesta Maria St. Rose Henry said she walks around missing her
husband, along with her children.
And so they are not just statistics; they are broken lives and
families. And 3,000 more will die as we go further into this time, as
3,000 died on that date.
And for those of us who were in this Congress on 9/11, we will never,
never forget.
To the young people today, be reminded of the heroes, firefighters,
police officers, volunteers. Let us never forget, and let us always
remember this bill and these heroes who are here, and that is James
Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and, now, Luis Alvarez.
Madam Speaker, let us never forget, and let us vote.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer).
Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, we are here today to have the backs of
our first responders, especially those who stood up to terrorists that
morning and ran directly into the burning buildings on 9/11 and stayed
for the weeks and months that followed. They are our heroes, and they
need our help.
Hundreds of New Jersey and New York law enforcement, firefighters,
EMTs, and others answered the call and rushed toward the pile as others
ran out.
If you ask how they were able to summon the courage, they will tell
you they were simply doing their job that day. And Congress now has the
opportunity to do ours.
Too many first responders are still suffering from illnesses and
cancers from 9/11 exposure to toxins, smoke, debris, including too many
people who are still suffering in my district.
Congress set up the Victim Compensation Fund to help cover 9/11
injuries and medical expenses. Those who were exposed back in 2011 are,
sadly, first developing symptoms now.
More than 47,000 claims have been filed with the fund, and more than
11,000 district claims are expected by 2020, when the fund is set to
expire. We must act today.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of the
bipartisan H.R. 1327, Never Forget the Heroes.
I thank Chairman Nadler, Representative Carolyn Maloney, and
Representative Peter King for their leadership and the Problem Solvers
Caucus for strongly supporting it.
We have an obligation to do everything we can to stand by our first
responders and survivors of those horrific attacks.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I will inquire through the
Chair, does the gentleman have any more speakers?
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I have one more speaker, and then I am
prepared to close.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I will reiterate. I know our
staffs have talked. If he actually needs it, I will be happy to yield
some time, if he happens to need it.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from New York (Mr. Suozzi).
Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Nadler for yielding.
Madam Speaker, this is what the American people are hungering for:
Democrats and Republicans working together to solve real problems in
real people's lives.
The Victim Compensation Fund is so important to so many people, real
suffering that is going on in real families after people have dedicated
their lives trying to serve other people and are now paying the
consequences for us.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues. I want to thank
Chairman Nadler, Congresswoman Maloney, Congressman King. I want to
thank all the Democrats and all the Republicans who cosponsored this
bill, and those who will vote for it today.
I have so many friends, personal friends who volunteered days, months
at the pile who are now suffering the consequences of having done that
volunteer work on the pile. This is an important day for those
families.
I want to thank the advocates that helped to focu our attention. I
want to thank everyone who worked together to solve a very real problem
in real people's lives.
This is what the United States Congress needs to be doing, and I am
so happy to be a part of it.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of
my time.
The names that have been talked about in this bill, and this bill has
been named for them, especially Mr. Alvarez, who appeared before the
committee, these are all stories and faces. This is definitely a bill
that we have talked about many times.
We have talked about them in terms of numbers. We have talked about
them in terms of bills and line numbers and this kind of thing. But
these are actually lives, and I think that is the thing that struck me,
and I am glad that there is such bipartisan support on this.
These folks should never be forgotten. They should be etched in our
memories, for those of us, no matter where we were on 9/11, remember
them going in. I can actually watch and still see the towers fall,
knowing that at that moment lives perished and there were those who
were saving others. And that is what we are here for.
I will say--and I want this to be said, because this is on the
Record, and I want the Senate to hear me loud and clear--I wish we
could have finished this bill.
We are not finished with this bill, but I am imploring Senator
McConnell and the others to actually take this, find the pay-for, get
it done, and send it back to us as quickly as possible so that we can
stamp it and send it to the President. This needs to be done, and it is
something that has to happen.
I would encourage every Member of this body to vote for this bill
and, at the same point, send a strong message to the Senate to fix it:
Don't change it; don't dawdle with it; don't do anything except do your
job over there. Put the money attached to this.
We should have done that here. We didn't. We didn't have a pay-for,
but they will, and we will get this done.
[[Page H5750]]
To everybody waiting on us, this is not waiting on us. We are doing
our job. We are going to make sure these victims are compensated, and
we need to get it done quickly. That is why I support this. That is why
I hope everyone on our side and the Democratic side supports this.
Madam Speaker, this has been an important part of us moving forward,
remembering the lives that sacrificed for us as we move forward from
that tragic day, and I appreciate everyone who has come down to speak
on that.
Again, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this as we move forward, and I
ask the Senate to quickly--I know that sometimes may be strange for the
other body--but to quickly do their job and get this back to us so that
we can finish this process.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, 9 years ago, I stood here and called up for
consideration the original 9/11 bill, the James Zadroga Act.
I want to thank Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Majority
Whip Clyburn for their roles in passing that bill, and now for moving
us as quickly as possible to get this bill done.
I also want to thank my colleagues from New York, the gentlewoman
from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from New York
(Mr. King), for standing with me in this fight for so long, and to
thank all the advocates, many of whom are here today, who have given so
much and have worked so hard to pass this bill.
Finally, I want to thank Lisette Morton, my longtime legislative
director and director of policy planning and member services for the
Committee on the Judiciary, who is leaving my team at the end of this
month after nearly 20 years.
Lisette worked for me on September 11, 2001, and she was tireless in
her efforts to get a proper detoxification and cleanup after the attack
in New York and to hold the EPA accountable for its failures. Without
her fierce advocacy and dedication, there would be more victims today,
and we would not be here considering this bill today. She will be
greatly missed by this institution, by my staff, and by me.
Now, Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. NADLER. I yield to the gentleman from Georgia.
{time} 1130
Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, Mr. Nadler has just brought up
something that I cannot let pass.
Lisette is not only someone who has given service to Mr. Nadler. She
has given a great deal of service to this House and to me and to my
staff personally.
She will be missed on both sides of this aisle because she
understands completely what this House should be about, and that is
actually service and actually getting legislation done.
Mr. NADLER. She will be greatly missed.
Madam Speaker, I now urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I am very proud to be a Never
Forgot the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez
Permanent Authorization cosponsor, along with another very strong group
of bipartisan Members who will not let this opportunity to enact this
legislation pass. Tragically, Mr. Alvarez just passed away last month
of after providing heroic testifying in support of this bill.
Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing. I was
actually chairing a Veterans' Affairs Committee hearing when a group of
cowards hijacked four airliners in order to perpetrate the worst act of
terrorism in American history.
Nearly 3,000 innocent people lost their lives that day, including 700
from my State. Who can forget the courageous first responders running
up the stairs of the burning buildings with total disregard for their
own safety, saving others at the expense of their own lives.
No one remembers the shock, horror, and numbing sorrow of this day,
however, more than the families and the close friends of the victims. I
have worked with and befriended many family members of 9/11 victims,
and I can state unequivocally that there would not have been a 9/11
Commission and other historic policy initiatives without their
extraordinary tenacity, commitment, and courage. That includes what was
known as the four Jersey girls, widows who simply would not take ``no''
for an answer. They were a driving force behind the establishment of
that very important historic commission.
I got to know a lot of the others. I actually hired a school
principal who lost her husband, Alan, in 9/11, and I am reminded every
time I am in the district office, and other days as well, what she has
lost and how painful and how sorrowful that was on that day.
For more than 17 years, the families and the friends of those who
died have had to endure their loss and a broken heart. Now we know the
carnage, the consequences, the ongoing loss of life, and the health
crisis attributable to 9/11 are even worse than anyone could have
imagined. New cases of 9/11-caused conditions are being diagnosed by
the doctors at the World Trade Center Health Program every day, with
close to 12,000 cases of 9/11-caused cancers diagnosed so far,
including 700 cases of breast cancer, 2,500 of prostate cancer, 600 of
thyroid cancer, 500 of lung cancer, and 500 of kidney cancer.
There have also been other kinds of catastrophic consequences, with
people who are suffering from PTSD, some 9,500 so far and counting.
Congress enacted the World Trade Health Center Program Fund and
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund to provide health services for
responders at the three crash sites, and others in the vicinity of the
World Trade Center site for health conditions related to toxic
exposures from the attacks.
There are over 6,800 New Jerseyans receiving healthcare services from
the World Trade Center Health Program, 1,200 of whom are from my
district, constituents of mine.
In February of this year--and this was shocking, frankly--the
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund special master announced that,
due to a lack of funding, the Justice Department will have to cut
awards on pending cases by 50 percent and any new claims that are filed
by 70 percent.
These cuts will devastate the first responders, our firemen, police,
and emergency personnel. They will also represent a gross injustice for
survivors and their families who spent countless hours and days in
search of their loved ones.
I remember going to the site a couple of days after. I went with Tony
Principi, who was then the Secretary of the Department of Veterans
Affairs. Unfortunately, there was a sense, a falsely conveyed sense,
that maybe you didn't have to wear the mask, so many of those guys and
those ladies on the ground were breathing in a toxic mix of chemicals
that now have manifested into very serious disease.
This is an important bill. It is bipartisan, and I thank my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle; Congresswoman Maloney for her
leadership; and of course, all the others who are cosponsors of this
bill. I urge the Senate to move swiftly in passing this bill so that
these heroes can secure the health care benefits they deserve.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1327, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________