Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill presents a sensitive issue with regard to compensation for those who are suffering ailments as a result of the recovery and cleanup efforts at the World Trade Center site. No doubt there are many with legitimate claims as a result of their efforts at Ground Zero. However, this legislation as written creates a huge $8.4 billion slush fund paid for by taxpayers that is open to abuse, fraud, and waste. That is because the legislation creates an inexplicable and unprecedented 21-year long fund. The case of the bill's namesake, James Zadroga, is indicative of the problems with this bill. Rather than finding that Detective Zadroga's death was the result of exposure to Ground Zero dust, the New York City medical examiner concluded that, ``It is our unequivocal opinion, with certainty beyond doubt, that the foreign material in Detective Zadroga's lungs did not get there as a result of inhaling dust at the World Trade Center or elsewhere.'' So the bill is deceptive, starting with its title. The danger here is not simply the occasional unsupported claim, as in the case of Detective Zadroga, but the creation of a massive and expensive compensation system that will be subject to pervasive problems over the unprecedented 21 years it will be open to claimants.…”