Celia Israel: “Today we consider the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. In my district, John Sferazo is counting on us to pass this…”

“Today we consider the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. In my district, John Sferazo is counting on us to pass this bill. John was at Ground Zero clearing rubble and removing debris. Today his breathing is labored and his health is precarious. There are tens of thousands of John Sferazos in this country: 13,000 who are ill; 53,000 whose health is being monitored; 71,000 who were exposed to poisonous toxins. This bill ensures a network of health care providers and monitoring. Now some are saying, let's wait, let's debate more let's slow down. When the towers fell, John Sferazo did not say let's wait, let's debate, let's slow down. The responders put aside their lives and health for us, and we should put aside our politics for them. We are bringing this bill to the floor under the same expedited consideration that we use to name post offices. Certainly John Sferazo and tens of thousands of 9/11 responders are worth at least as much expeditious consideration as we use to name post offices.”