Carolyn Maloney: “This week the House approved billions in new funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Congress has yet to fully…”

“This week the House approved billions in new funding for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Congress has yet to fully address the impact of the event that caused the war in the first place, the 9/11 terrorist attack. Today we will vote on a bill that provides guaranteed help for the survivors of 9/11 and the brave first responders who rushed to Ground Zero to save the lives of others. On 9/11, roughly 3,000 people lost their lives, but thousands and thousands lost their health because they rushed in to save others. To date, the Federal Government has identified more than 20,000 individuals who have health problems as a direct result of the attacks. Caring for those who are suffering is a national responsibility. Every single State, 428 of the 435 congressional districts have someone enrolled in the Federal World Trade Center Health Registry because they were near Ground Zero or worked at Ground Zero. The 9/11 Health and Compensation Act meets our moral responsibility to help those who were there to help us.”