Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, the attacks on 9/11, designed to murder as many innocent people as possible, were acts of war against the United States. It resulted in the deaths of almost 3,000 people and left a smoldering pile of toxic debris in New York. But thousands of noble and courageous first responders scaled that smoldering pile and exhumed the dead with dignity. Today, the site includes the National September 11 Memorial.
It is fitting that Congress do more than memorialize. We must also provide. The 9/11 first responders, like all first responders, deserve to have their sacrifices recognized through programs that reasonably limit their damage to their own selves and families and the sacrifice they entailed.
This legislation would reauthorize the current September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, the medical program covering needed healthcare for those affected by the 9/11 incident, which has already been extended to the year 2090 in legislation enacted many years ago.
This legislation before us today would extend a separate program to 2090, namely, the program designed to compensate the same victims for lost earnings and other losses they suffered as a result of the 9/11 attack. The compensation will, of course, cost money, recognizing that it is not mean-spirited in any way, but simply a necessity in a responsible budgeting process where limited Federal dollars and specific funds must be allocated in a formal budget composed of specific dollar amounts divided up by a program.
Sadly, this bill comes to the floor without any provision to pay for the program, in fact, no provision at all. This bill, according to the Congressional Budget Office, will cost $10.2 billion, and that is during the first decade of the seven decades that this bill extends.
I, like the chairman, would have preferred never to have to touch this bill again because it is in honor of those who served us, but, unfortunately, his request that he made that this will be the last time is not going to be true because of, inherently, the way the bill is being passed today. We did not sit down and get this done. The Senate will then have to do that as we go forward.
So the process is, frankly, unfulfilling, although we need to continue to move forward. So as we look forward to this, it is unfortunate that we have chosen today to put risk on this compensation, given the fact that the Senate has got to now be a part of this solution.
While the fiscal impact of this legislation will have to be addressed before it is signed into law, what is clear, though, is our collective duty to see that our first responders are treated fairly and in accordance with what they have already given of themselves to a grateful nation.
I look forward to supporting this legislation, and that is why I am a cosponsor of this legislation. I urge my colleagues to do so as well. But it is sad to know that we will have to touch this again. And time will pass before this happens because the Senate will have to take this up and have to do what we should have done here and find that pay-for in a bicameral and bipartisan way so that we don't have to touch this again and those who are suffering will know that this body is committed to them.
I commend my chairman, and I am glad that we are on this bill together. I just wish that we didn't have to touch it again, but we are going to have to. But that is not going to stand in the way, today, of us honoring the names on this bill and honoring every face that this bill will help for those who served us and our Nation.
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin).
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick).
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I will inquire through the Chair, does the gentleman have any more speakers?
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I will reiterate. I know our staffs have talked. If he actually needs it, I will be happy to yield some time, if he happens to need it.
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
The names that have been talked about in this bill, and this bill has been named for them, especially Mr. Alvarez, who appeared before the committee, these are all stories and faces. This is definitely a bill that we have talked about many times.
We have talked about them in terms of numbers. We have talked about them in terms of bills and line numbers and this kind of thing. But these are actually lives, and I think that is the thing that struck me, and I am glad that there is such bipartisan support on this.
These folks should never be forgotten. They should be etched in our memories, for those of us, no matter where we were on 9/11, remember them going in. I can actually watch and still see the towers fall, knowing that at that moment lives perished and there were those who were saving others. And that is what we are here for.
I will say--and I want this to be said, because this is on the Record, and I want the Senate to hear me loud and clear--I wish we could have finished this bill.
We are not finished with this bill, but I am imploring Senator McConnell and the others to actually take this, find the pay-for, get it done, and send it back to us as quickly as possible so that we can stamp it and send it to the President. This needs to be done, and it is something that has to happen.
I would encourage every Member of this body to vote for this bill and, at the same point, send a strong message to the Senate to fix it: Don't change it; don't dawdle with it; don't do anything except do your job over there. Put the money attached to this.
We should have done that here. We didn't. We didn't have a pay-for, but they will, and we will get this done.
To everybody waiting on us, this is not waiting on us. We are doing our job. We are going to make sure these victims are compensated, and we need to get it done quickly. That is why I support this. That is why I hope everyone on our side and the Democratic side supports this.
Madam Speaker, this has been an important part of us moving forward, remembering the lives that sacrificed for us as we move forward from that tragic day, and I appreciate everyone who has come down to speak on that.
Again, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this as we move forward, and I ask the Senate to quickly--I know that sometimes may be strange for the other body--but to quickly do their job and get this back to us so that we can finish this process.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Will the gentleman yield?
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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, Mr. Nadler has just brought up something that I cannot let pass.
Lisette is not only someone who has given service to Mr. Nadler. She has given a great deal of service to this House and to me and to my staff personally.
She will be missed on both sides of this aisle because she understands completely what this House should be about, and that is actually service and actually getting legislation done.
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