Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the rule on H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. We all know on September 11, 2001, what happened, and I said it on the House floor shortly thereafter and I repeat it again today that I was never more proud to be an American and a New Yorker than on that day. Many of my constituents rushed in to help. Tearfully, many of them perished. But within days of the attack, over 40,000 responders from across the Nation, let me repeat, across the United States, 431 congressional districts out of 435, these heroes descended upon Ground Zero to do anything possible to help with the rescue, recovery, and cleanup. The people that rushed in didn't put themselves first. They selflessly helped others. They rushed in to help their fellow human beings. And the question is, why should we now penalize these people who risked their lives? They thought it was safe to work at the site and the air was safe to breathe. They were told this by Federal officials, that the air is fine, come down and help. They never questioned their own safety when they ran in to help others, because they put others in need ahead of themselves. And do you know what? The statements that were given about the air being safe to breathe were false.”