[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 159 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8351-H8354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1145
FAIRNESS FOR 9/11 FAMILIES ACT
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1404, I call up
the bill (H.R. 8987) to amend the Justice for United States Victims of
State Sponsored Terrorism Act to authorize appropriations for catch-up
payments from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism
Fund, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1404, an
amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of Rules
Committee Print 117-68 is adopted, and the bill, as amended, is
considered read.
The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:
H.R. 8987
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 ``Fairness for 9/11 Families
Act''.
SEC. 2. APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--Section 404(d)(4)(C) of the Justice for
United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act (34
U.S.C. 20144(d)(4)(C)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(iv) Authorization.--
``(I) In general.--The Special Master shall authorize lump
sum catch-up payments in amounts equal to the amounts
described in subclauses (I), (II), and (III) of clause (iii).
``(II) Appropriations.--
``(aa) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
and there are appropriated to the Fund such sums as are
necessary to carry out this clause, to remain available until
expended.
``(bb) Limitation.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to item
(aa) may not be used for a purpose other than to make lump
sum catch-up payments under this clause.''.
(b) Rescission.--Of the unobligated balances of amounts
made available under the heading ``Small Business
Administration--Business Loans Program Account, CARES Act'',
for carrying out paragraphs (36) and (37) of section 7(a) of
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(a)), $2,982,000,000 are
hereby rescinded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for
1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on the Judiciary or their respective designees.
The gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) and the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Jordan) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).
General Leave
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
insert extraneous material on H.R. 8987.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the Fairness for 9/11 Families Act would provide a
catch-up payment to thousands of 9/11 victims, spouses, and dependents
who were unfairly excluded from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored
Terrorism Fund when it was first established in 2015.
While no amount of money can ever make up for the incalculable loss
that they suffered on September 11, this legislation would ensure that
they are fairly compensated for their claims against those responsible
for one of our Nation's darkest days.
In 2015, Congress created the United States Victims of State
Sponsored Terrorism Fund to provide compensation for individuals with
terrorism judgments against designated state sponsors of terrorism.
At the time, those who had received payments from the September 11th
Victim Compensation Fund--primarily victims, spouses, and children--
were precluded from receiving funds from the VSSTF.
Their exclusion from the fund led to a perverse result by which other
family members who were not eligible for payments under the VCF could
receive compensation from the VSSTF--in some cases, substantially more
than what was paid out under the VCF--while victims, spouses, and
children were excluded from the fund, despite also having claims.
Congress corrected this injustice in 2019, and a year later it tasked
the Government Accountability Office with calculating a lump-sum catch-
up payment that would bring those who initially had been wrongly
excluded from the VSSTF into parity with those individuals who had been
included in the fund when it was first created.
The Fairness for 9/11 Families Act fully funds these catch-up
payments, offset by funds no longer needed to implement the Paycheck
Protection Program. I thank Senators Menendez and Schumer for their
partnership on this legislation and for all of their efforts to provide
justice and support to 9/11 families over the years.
I also thank the many victims and family members whose advocacy and
determination were essential to bringing this legislation forward.
Although nothing can make up for 20 years of missed birthdays,
anniversaries, and memories for those who lost loved ones on September
11, I hope that these funds can provide some measure of comfort and
justice to the people whose lives were changed forever that day.
As we pass this legislation, we must not forget the survivors and
first responders who continue to suffer the health effects of the 9/11
attacks. As I always have, I will continue to fight to ensure that
these people have the care they need. We can, and we must, look after
everyone who was affected that fateful day.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the Fairness for 9/11
Families Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the families of the 9/11 victims have our deepest
sympathies. They have spent the last 20 years seeking justice through a
maze of red tape.
Due to errors made with how funds to compensate victims were
structured, a disparity emerged between the compensation received by
differently situated 9/11 families. This legislation would help remedy
that inequity.
Behind the scenes, we have been working to solve this problem for
years. Unfortunately, the Democrats have not been particularly
interested. During the last few years of trying to resolve this matter,
the Judiciary Committee has not held a single hearing or markup to
evaluate the problems with victims funds or how to best address the
problem.
In fact, according to a GAO study required by Congress, the shortfall
owed to 9/11 families amounts to $2.7 billion. The proposal before us
takes from COVID relief money that Congress appropriated for small
businesses to make 9/11 families whole.
There are potential solutions to this problem that we should have put
forward earlier. Unfortunately, because Chairman Nadler has declined to
allow the Judiciary Committee to consider these other possibilities, we
are left with just the bill before us today.
I do think it is important to recognize that we are here today thanks
to the hard work of the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis) and
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). I know Congresswoman
Malliotakis and Congressman Smith have been working tirelessly on this
during this entire Congress. It would have been nice to have their bill
before our committee for some debate. We never would have gotten to a
place of finding a solution for these victims without their tireless
efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote and reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York
(Mr. Nadler) for work that is long overdue, and the Senators in the
other body, as well.
I lived through 9/11, as many of us who have served in this Congress
did. I lived through the terror, the horror, the horrific scenes that
were unspeakable and unbelievable. I lived through them with the same
sense of this could not be America.
I was in this building as the planes hit the Pentagon. We did not get
the direct information about the World Trade Center, but as we were
screamed at to get out and flee, as we ran without knowledge, I could
see the billowing smoke, as the plane had already hit the Pentagon.
Never in our lives since World War II and Pearl Harbor had I seen or
heard about, if you will, such atrocities and
[[Page H8352]]
violence. Imagine those families, never being able to bury their loved
ones.
I went to Ground Zero by train because at that time planes were not
in the air. I was insistent, as a member of the beginning of the
Homeland Security Committee, to go there with a former Senator. We went
to the very site.
No, there was no rescuing at that time; it was recovering.
We saw those fire department personnel, firemen, and law enforcement
guarding this sacred place. Those firepersons would get a whistle blown
when someone who had been digging found the remnants of a body, pieces
of bones, and because they wanted to honor those families, they would
blow the whistle and a gurney would come, and they would put what they
found on the gurney.
That is what this bill is all about. It is to be able to say that
families have suffered unconscionably, and that due to their own
government withholding payments due to them and only incrementally
dribbling them out in small amounts over the years, the families have
faced financial hardship.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, this would provide financial relief for
the families of those murdered by the terrorists by helping to put more
dollars in this victims' fund, more so than the Victim Compensation
Fund, to provide them with catch-up payments that they did not get.
That is important to do.
Mr. Speaker, might I say that I visited with the Uvalde families this
past Monday. Their pain is deep, and it is the same. They don't have a
handle on these compensation funds. They are suffering. And as this has
evidenced, that you must always ease the suffering of those who you
cannot replace their loved ones, I look forward to working with the
chairman on helping these Uvalde families in their suffering.
I support this legislation. I thank the chairman, and I urge my
colleagues to support H.R. 8987.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support
H.R. 8987, the ``Fairness for 9/11 Families Act''.
I commend my colleague and friend, Chairman Jerry Nadler, for
introducing this bill and bringing it before the House today.
This legislation provides us the opportunity to ``do right'' for the
families who suffered directly from the heinous acts and carnage
perpetrated on our nation on September 11th, 2001.
H.R. 8987 would provide financial relief to the families of those
murdered by terrorists on September 11th by providing lump sum catch-up
payments to them of the funds to which they are entitled from the
United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
When the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund was created, it
did not allow for payments to families who already received some
payments from the Victims Compensation Fund, even though they were
clearly within the scope of the new fund.
This error was corrected later, but the families still have not
received the catch-up payments to which they were entitled to provide
them the financial assistance that they would have received if the
initial error had not been made.
This legislation would provide them with lump-sum payments to
immediately correct that injustice.
Needless to say, these families have suffered enough, and it
unconscionable that they should be subjected to further suffering due
to their own government withholding payments due to them, and only
incrementally dribbling them out in small amounts over many years.
The families have faced financial hardship since that day, partly due
to the loss of their loved one's income, and just as directly, by the
inability to focus on employment while coping with their loss of a
loved one through that unspeakable national tragedy.
The events of September 11th were among the most horrifying,
frightening, and shocking that I have ever endured. That day, I was at
the Capitol and experienced the frantic panic of being rushed off of
the Capitol grounds when we feared that Flight 93 was aiming toward us.
And yet, my experience that day was incidental and transitory
compared to the life-altering devastation that was felt that day and
every day since then by the families of those who were killed in the
airplanes and in the buildings that were struck.
Any time a loved one is abruptly and unforeseeably killed by violence
or an accident, their surviving family members are devastated and
debilitated, with a lengthy adjustment period that sometimes is never
resolved.
In the case of the 9/11 victims and families, the aftermath of grief,
mourning, and incapacity was protracted and compounded.
This was initially due to the uniquely heinous and horrible
circumstances of 9/11, and thereafter due to the annual national
memorials and the ubiquitous reminders of the tragedy that is embedded
in the national consciousness.
These families are forever intertwined with the grief, sadness, and
despondency associated with those acts of warfare against the United
States. Thus, it is our responsibility, as the Congress of their United
States, to prioritize their needs, revitalization, and compensation
since, in effect, their loved ones were lost in an act of war by enemy
combatants.
Although we can never sufficiently compensate the families for the
loss of their loved ones, we must do all we can to support them and
help them reclaim their productive lives.
It is not too much to ask--indeed, it is the least we can do--to
ensure that the funds allocated to them be transmitted to them
immediately to ease their financial burdens and support their pursuit
of fulfilling lives.
The catch-up payments that were allocated to the families must be
distributed to them promptly in lump sum payments for the dual sakes of
fairness and solidarity with those whose sacrifice is enshrined in our
national fabric.
Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who has been representing the
good folks of his State for over four decades here in the United States
Congress and who has worked tirelessly on this issue.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Jordan) for his leadership and for his kind words. I thank the
chairman of the Judiciary Committee for sponsoring this extraordinarily
important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, everyone remembers where they were and what they were
doing--I was in Washington here chairing a Veterans' Affairs Committee
hearing--when a group of radical jihadists hijacked four airliners to
perpetrate the worst act of terrorism in American history.
Today, 21 years later, we remember the horror and pain suffered by
those who were murdered and the anguish felt by their families and
friends both then and now.
On the morning of 9/11, I got a mere glimpse into the sense of horror
suffered by the victims' families when I couldn't reach my own brother,
Tom, an American Airlines 757 captain who often piloted Flight 11 from
Logan to L.A., the flight that crashed into the north tower. After
several hours, when I finally made contact, he was okay, but he was
friends with the crew of Flight 11, all who were killed that day.
I ask my colleagues to strongly support H.R. 8987, the Fairness for
9/11 Families Act. This legislation addresses a significant shortcoming
in programs made available to the widows and children of 9/11.
As I think Members know, in 2015, Congress created the United States
Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund to provide compensation to
Americans injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism.
Despite the obvious connection to the 9/11 surviving family members,
however, a misinterpretation of the law by the fund's special master
unjustly barred spouses and children of 9/11 from participating in the
fund.
In 2021, at the behest of Congress, the GAO conducted an
investigation and found that 5,364 victims, spouses, and dependents
were excluded from the fair restitution due to a technicality in the
administration of the Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
H.R. 8987 provides immediate relief, with a lump-sum catch-up payment
to the victims' immediate families.
For two decades, Mr. Speaker, I have worked with the Jersey Girls to
achieve justice--that is what they call themselves--wonderful,
wonderful widows who have tried to achieve justice for those who
committed these horrific crimes and for those who suffered and were
left behind.
Because of them, we got the 9/11 Commission. I was the chief
Republican sponsor of that bill, but that wasn't because of what we did
here as much as it was because of the work
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that they did in walking the halls and trying to get people to support
a 9/11 fund.
I point out to my colleagues that Tom Kean, our former Governor,
headed that up, along with Lee Hamilton, the distinguished former
chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. What they produced after
their hearings became the blueprint to protect America.
As they noted in their opening statement--and I chaired two hearings
about implementing the report--what they said was, We are safer but not
safe, and they prescribed both administrative and legislative actions
that should be undertaken to protect America.
I would note that Kathie Wisniewski, who works on my staff, and lost
her husband, Alan, is with us today, Kristen Breitweiser; Mindy
Kleinberg; Lorie Van Auken; Kathy Maher and her sons, Joseph and
Daniel; and the next generation of 9/11 family advocates, including
Angela Mistrulli and Brett Eagleson, who lost his parents on 9/11, were
the driving force in achieving this win today, which, again, is a
modicum of justice for their egregious loss.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Malliotakis, our colleague from Staten
Island, for her work on this and her bill, as well as the chairman's
bill, which has a pay-for. I think this is an important, important
piece of legislation. I hope every Member of the body will support it.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Fairness for 9/11
Families Act.
9/11 is a day that left an indelible mark on all of us. We all
remember where we were. When the towers fell, they took so many
innocent lives, and the families left suffered irreplaceable loss. This
bill would provide catch-up payments to 9/11 survivors, spouses, and
dependents, who were unfairly excluded from the U.S. Victims of State
Sponsored Terrorism Fund. While no amount of money can make up for
their loss, this bill would fairly compensate them for their claims
against those responsible for one of our Nation's darkest days.
It would provide some relief to people like my constituents: Gail
Eagleson, who lost her husband, Bruce, on 9/11, and her son, Brett
Eagleson, who lost his father on 9/11. He was just 15 years old. That
dark day Bruce saved lives. He was an incredible human being, a devoted
husband, father, and friend. In helping to save lives, he lost his own.
Bruce would be proud to know that his son, Brett, has led the charge
on this fight. I have been so proud to work with him. It is an honor to
work with him to get this done. He never gave up. The families never
gave up.
While we cannot fill the hole in the hearts of these families, we can
say, We understand your sacrifice, your loss, and make justice work on
your behalf.
Mr. Speaker, today, I urge my colleagues to stand with all these
families. Do the right thing. Support this critical legislation. It is
so long overdue.
{time} 1200
Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis), who has worked so hard on
this issue this entire Congress.
Ms. MALLIOTAKIS. Mr. Speaker, although 21 years have passed, the pain
we experienced on September 11, 2001, when terrorists unleashed deadly
and calculated destruction across our country has not faded.
Those that have empty chairs at their dinner tables, the widows, the
widowers, the children of those that perished in that attack, they are
still fighting for their entitled compensation under the United States
Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.
Frankly, the exclusion of the 5,364 widows and children from this
fund was an injustice that Congress should have never allowed to
happen. As a result of their initial exclusion, widows and children
missed the first two payments from the terrorism fund, creating a
massive disparity between their restorative justice payments that
others, including people like Madeline Bergin and Jeanette Schardt from
my district, who lost their husbands, FDNY firefighters, on that
dreadful day.
This bill, which I drafted and introduced on August 5, would catch up
widows and children to our victims' groups and ensure that moving
forward they are no longer left out, forgotten, or excluded. This bill
rights a grave wrong that should have been corrected long ago.
Today with us earlier was Angela Mistrulli, the head of the 9/11
Children for Justice, someone who was also affected, a tireless
advocate for the widows and children and someone who has become a good
friend to me and my office.
For nearly 6 months we had been working together on this issue and
this legislation. Today, I am proud that the work we have done is being
brought to this floor and that the widows and children are one step
closer to their entitled compensation.
I thank Chairman Nadler, Ranking Member Jordan, Chris Smith, and my
other colleague, Kathleen Rice, who made this a bipartisan bill, for
their support and their help in getting this done.
President Truman once said, ``It is amazing what you can accomplish
when you do not care who gets the credit.'' This case is no different.
So many people have come together from across the political spectrum
to correct a wrong that should have been done, as I said, years ago. I
am so proud and honored to have been a part of this process and
bringing these wonderful people, people who lost so much, some justice.
Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member in this Chamber, on both sides of
the aisle, to vote in support of this legislation.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of the House.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Fairness for 9/11
Families Act, another vital step to support our September 11 heroes and
their families.
I salute Chairman Nadler for his committed leadership in bringing
this legislation to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, on September 11, our Nation watched in horror as
unfathomable acts of terror unfolded on our soil, gripped by an
unthinkable nightmare.
For thousands of families, it was only the beginning: Children
growing up without a mom or dad by their side; missing smiles at dance
recitals and soccer games; empty seats at graduations and weddings and
baptisms.
Yet, in the wake of such harrowing tragedy, these grieving families
rallied together, channeling their sorrow into solidarity, transforming
their pain into purpose, mobilizing their agony into advocacy. Some of
them were very much responsible for us getting a 9/11 Commission, which
some in Congress had resisted. Without their outside mobilization, it
would not have happened.
Congress and the country greatly admire the courage of the survivors
and families who have come together to make their voices heard.
In fact, it was my honor to host many of them in the Capitol just
earlier this month, to listen to their moving stories and learn how we
can continue to support them.
This is an injustice, as was described. Moved by their remarkable
resilience, the House has worked relentlessly over the years to honor
our solemn promise to the 9/11 families. We passed the Zadroga Act to
ensure that they could receive help from the September 11th Victim
Compensation Fund; and we passed the Never Forget the Heroes Act to
permanently authorize those funds.
But there is still more to be done to ensure they get every last cent
they are due. I don't know that any money really makes up for their
loss; but what they are due, they should receive.
The Fairness for 9/11 Families Act corrects an outrageous injustice,
finally delivering the $2.7 billion that these families are owed from
the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. This
initiative was established to support Americans devastated by evils of
international terror, but for years, the wives, husbands, and children
of those killed on 9/11 were refused assistance from this particular
fund, even as more distant relatives received compensation.
Yes, they were getting funds from an earlier fund, but if you got
money from the earlier fund, you couldn't get
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money from this additional fund. This is about fairness today.
As Democrats took the majority, we ended this unconscionable
disparity. Today, we vote to make them whole, delivering the benefits
they were wrongfully denied. No amount of money can replace those who
were stolen away, nor restore the memories and moments that could have
been; but with this legislation, we can further ease two decades of
anguish, and we can take another step to ensure that justice is done. I
am so pleased it is being done in a bipartisan way, because at the
start, that was not the case.
President Lincoln once cautioned against the ``silent artillery of
time''--the slow, steady fading of our Nation's collective memory.
For 21 years, these families have served as a bulwark against that
silent threat. Here today, let us stand with them and renew our sacred
promise to never forget.
Mr. Speaker, I urge a resounding and bipartisan ``yes'' and,
hopefully, a unanimous vote so that we may empower thousands of
Americans to begin finding the peace that they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, as I have the floor, I also rise in strong support of
the continuing resolution to keep government open and working for the
people. This legislation ensures full government funding through
December 16, giving appropriators more time to reach bipartisan,
bicameral agreement on funding levels for the upcoming fiscal year.
It includes critical funding to support Ukraine, to respond to
natural disasters, and to advance many additional key priorities.
I thank Rosa DeLauro, chair of the Committee on Appropriations, for
her strong values-driven leadership to bring forth this necessary
legislation. As I always say, as an appropriator myself, left to their
own devices, the appropriators will find a bipartisan path.
I thank Rosa for her ongoing work to assemble an omnibus government
funding package that honors our values as a Nation. That is the next
step.
Today, we proceed with this legislation. As we do, war rages on in
Ukraine. With the legislation we pass today, Congress secures an
additional $12.3 billion for Ukraine-related priorities, including
security, economic and humanitarian aid to the historic and heroic
Ukrainian people.
This package comes at a pivotal moment as Ukraine's freedom fighters
work to turn the tide, liberating key cities and repelling Russian
forces.
When I traveled to Berlin for the G7 Speakers' Summit earlier this
month, it was my privilege to hear directly from Ukraine Speaker Ruslan
Stefanchuk, who offered an invaluable report on the state of the war.
At those meetings, I reiterated America's unbreakable, unshakeable
commitment to stand with Ukraine in the fight for democracy. By the
way, every other Speaker from the G7, they call them heads of
parliament in some countries, spoke out strongly in favor of democracy
in Ukraine. So it wasn't just me talking about unbreakable, unshakeable
commitment, others did, too.
With this supplemental funding, we take another strong step to honor
our country's pledge.
Alongside this critical package for Ukraine, this legislation directs
significant funding to help American families devastated by disaster.
We continue to hold all of the families affected by Hurricane Ian in
our hearts and prayers during this difficult time, but we need money to
help them.
The $2 billion more in Community Development Block Grant Disaster
Recovery funding in this bill will go toward supporting Florida, as
well as Puerto Rico, Alaska, and other communities hit by catastrophe.
But, again, we need more.
We are also allowing FEMA to spend up to its entire year of funding,
giving the agency access to an additional $18.9 billion from FEMA's
disaster relief fund to quickly respond to disasters, especially
appropriate now with Ian; and we will need more.
Thanks to the leadership of Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez, we
are sending $2.5 billion to help New Mexicans begin to heal, recover,
and rebuild after the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon fire. She and the
Members from New Mexico were very instrumental in making sure we were
aware of the disastrous mistake that was made in New Mexico and how we
need to address it.
At the same time, thanks to the impassioned advocacy of Congressman
Bennie Thompson, we secured $20 million in Jackson, Mississippi, which
is suffering a devastating water emergency. This man-made disaster
poses a direct threat to public health and demands urgent action.
Additionally, we are proud that this legislation includes $1 billion
more for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a vital
lifeline to help families pay their bills and stay safe in their homes
this winter.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a package for the people. I urge a
strong bipartisan ``yes'' on the continuing resolution so that we may
swiftly send this bill to the President's desk. I hope that we will
have a unanimous vote on the legislation, Fairness for 9/11 Families to
support our 9/11 heroes and their families.
Mr. JORDAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, when our Nation was attacked on September
11, we made a commitment on that terrible day to support the victims
and their families. The Fairness for 9/11 Families honors that
commitment.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Suozzi). All time for debate has
expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 1404, the previous question is ordered
on the bill, as amended.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. BIGGS. Mr. 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 question will be postponed.
____________________