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. ZELDIN. Madam Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his cosponsorship and his leadership with this issue.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of our 9/11 victims, first responders, and their families, urging my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.

First responders who worked on the pile day and night, aiding in the search, rescue, and cleanup efforts, were breathing in toxic debris and ash that are now known to have caused over 50 different types of cancer.

In 2011, the Zadroga Act was signed into law to help them. Five years later, it was permanently reauthorized and included $4.6 billion for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, the very fund that we are here debating today.

In February, the special master of the fund reported that current funding ``may be insufficient to compensate all claims,'' reporting that they would have to cut claims by up to 70 percent.

As was noted, in the aftermath of 9/11, the EPA told New Yorkers and these first responders that the air at Ground Zero and the surrounding area was safe to breathe. The Federal Government was wrong.

Madam Speaker, this was not a hurricane or a flood or a tornado. This was the largest terrorist attack ever on American soil.

As Jon Stewart testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee, these terrorists weren't saying ``death to Tribeca.'' This was an attack on all of us as Americans. We all should be voting ``yes'' today as Americans.

Yet, we are forcing sick first responders to come to Washington, D.C., to beg for benefits that they earned and were promised.

Last month, Luis Alvarez was one of those first responders. After his appearance in D.C., he rushed home for his 69th round of chemo. Unfortunately, he immediately ended up in hospice and passed away.

He shouldn't have had to come down here to fight on behalf of all of these other victims and first responders in the first place.

Month after month, year after year, going back to the first time the Zadroga Act was passed, how many first responders have made dozens of trips, educating, advocating, and passionately asking Members of Congress for their support?

Like so many other 9/11 first responders, this was not Lou's second or third time. Unfortunately, it was his last.

Lou Alvarez was an extraordinary man. What is truly extraordinary is that his spirit and grit represent that of each and every one of our 9/ 11 first responders. Think of all of those firefighters and others who rushed up to the towers when everyone else was running away. Think of those who ignored orders telling them to vacate the tower because they would not leave behind their captain.

The experience for us in the New York area is that when we meet someone when we are back home in our districts, day after day after day, people who looked larger than life, healthy and fit on 9/11, after going through multiple rounds of chemo, they are losing thei battle. Their bodies are riddled with all forms of cancer because they exposed themselves to that harm when the Federal Government told them it was safe.

I thank everyone who has worked so hard to get this bill passed, including my colleagues Carolyn Maloney, Jerry Nadler, Pete King, and others. I would also like to recognize the FealGood Foundation; Jon Stewart; Shepard Smith, for his reporting; and so many others fighting tooth and nail to make passage of this bill a reality.

Madam Speaker, I urge every single one of my colleagues in this House to vote ``yes,'' and I urge the Senate to take up this bill immediately.

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