Political Quotes

“I rise today to call on my colleagues to vote in favor of the Menendez-Murkowski amendment No. 3705, which I understand we will be shortly voting on on the floor, to provide implementation funding for the Firefighter Cancer Registry Act. Many of our colleagues supported the authorizing bill when it was before the Senate earlier this year, and it was subsequently passed and signed into law by President Trump. There are many words that come to mind when we think of firefighters--``courage,'' ``heroism,'' and ``compassion''--but tragically there is another word all too often associated with firefighters, and that word is ``cancer.'' According to the International Association of Firefighters, cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters. We know that firefighters confront more than smoke and flames while on the job; they also encounter dangerous fumes and toxins and known carcinogens that pose serious health risks. The Firefighter Cancer Registry Act we created is the first ever national cancer registry for firefighters, and the law directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the relationship between career-long exposure to dangerous fumes and toxins and cancer. Our Nation's first responders put their lives on the line every day, whether it was charging into a burning building on September 11 or fighting wildfires out West today. Every day, our firefighters strive to protect us.…”