Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's office issued the following today:
July 18, 2019
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
today released the following statement after it was announced that the
bill to make the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent will be brought
to a vote next week in the Senate.
“Eighteen years after 9/11, Congress is
finally poised to permanently stand by our first responders for the
rest of their lives, and we need to finish the job now. After getting
402 votes in the House, and with 75 cosponsors in the Senate, there are
no excuses. Senator Lee’s amendment would only accomplish one thing:
make our first responders do this all over again in a few years, which
is unimaginably callous. This amendment would force sick and dying
police officers, firefighters, and other 9/11 first responders to waste
even more of their precious time – away from their families, their loved
ones, and their cancer treatments – traveling back to Washington and
lobbying Congress to pass this bill for a fourth time. And Senator
Paul’s amendment would cut every government program across the
board. Every member of the Senate should stand by our 9/11 heroes and
vote against these unworkable amendments. The eyes of the nation are on
us to stand by our heroes and truly “never forget,” by passing a
permanent compensation program, so these men and women never have to
spend another second in Washington ever again. We need to stop these
political games and pass this bill now.”
