On the recordSeptember 29, 2010
I congratulate the leadership of the House and the members of the New York delegation for bringing the 9/11 bill to the floor. This bill simply says that we recognize the health needs of the people who volunteered on that day, who volunteered to go for a long period of time and who were told by the Federal Government that the air and the conditions in that area were safe. These folks are now suffering from very difficult and complex illnesses that very few doctors and hospitals understand. Only certain specialized care facilities can manage their health problems. It has been a long time since 9/11. Yet we have spent a lot of money, as we perhaps should have, on the war on terrorism--that is correct-- but there is another war. It is a war to bring good health care to those who volunteered and to those who were contracted to do this work. So, today, I join the New York delegation, and I join all Members of Congress in a bipartisan fashion to say that this bill was long overdue and that we should approve this bill today without any stumbling blocks.
