Nicole Malliotakis: “Although 21 years have passed, the pain we experienced on September 11, 2001, when terrorists unleashed deadly and…”

“Although 21 years have passed, the pain we experienced on September 11, 2001, when terrorists unleashed deadly and calculated destruction across our country has not faded. Those that have empty chairs at their dinner tables, the widows, the widowers, the children of those that perished in that attack, they are still fighting for their entitled compensation under the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. Frankly, the exclusion of the 5,364 widows and children from this fund was an injustice that Congress should have never allowed to happen. As a result of their initial exclusion, widows and children missed the first two payments from the terrorism fund, creating a massive disparity between their restorative justice payments that others, including people like Madeline Bergin and Jeanette Schardt from my district, who lost their husbands, FDNY firefighters, on that dreadful day. This bill, which I drafted and introduced on August 5, would catch up widows and children to our victims' groups and ensure that moving forward they are no longer left out, forgotten, or excluded. This bill rights a grave wrong that should have been corrected long ago. Today with us earlier was Angela Mistrulli, the head of the 9/11 Children for Justice, someone who was also affected, a tireless advocate for the widows and children and someone who has become a good friend to me and my office.…”