Letter to Frank Pallone JR, Chairman of Committee on Energy and Commerce - Republican Members Urge Democrat Leadership To Fund 9/11 Health Program Ahead of 21st Anniversary

Letter

As the 21st anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks approaches, we write to once again urge you to prioritize the heroes who put their lives in danger on that fateful day and bring forth H.R. 4965, the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, for a full committee mark-up during this upcoming legislative work period.
As you are aware, the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) is facing an impending funding shortfall due to a rise in medical costs and cancer rates over the last three years. The WTCHP is rapidly approaching a deficit in funding that will force the program to have to ratchet down spending and bar any new sick responders or survivors by October 2024.1 H.R. 4965 not only addresses the current funding shortfall directly, but also ensures adequate funding for years to come.
In July, we, Republican cosponsors of this legislation, sent you a letter urging you to work with us in a bipartisan manner to find a pay-for and bring forth H.R. 4965 for a full committee mark- up.2 As we noted then, if Congress does not quickly address this impending crisis, then the men and women who put their lives on the line and who survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks will lose health coverage to treat the physical and mental illnesses that they sustained on that fateful day. In the eight weeks since this last letter, no action has been taken to move H.R. 4965 forward within the committee, despite broad bipartisan support and the looming funding deficit.
Congress created the WTCHP with the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act. Today, the WTCHP provides medical treatment and monitoring for over 117,000 first responders and survivors who reside in every single state and all but one congressional district.3 For them, the consequences of September 11, 2001 continue to reverberate to this day.
Congress has a responsibility to uphold our promises. We implore you not to turn a blind eye to the hardship 9/11 responders and survivors are facing and urge you to move this critical legislation forward without further delay. We appreciate your attention to this matter and welcome a quick resolution to this time-sensitive issue.

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