Senate advances 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund bill

Senate lawmakers have approved a measure making the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent and it will now go to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and Peter King (R-NY) recently shared insight regarding the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act.

“This bill sends a powerful signal from our nation, from Congress, and from all the people we represent in all 50 states that we will never forget what our 9/11 heroes did for us,” Gillibrand said. “This bill is for every single person who decided in that terrible moment – when we were attacked, when we were vulnerable and we were scared – to do the unthinkable: to risk their lives for total strangers and sacrifice their bodies for our country.”

The legislation is designed to ensure the initiative is fully funded and will remain open for those who will become ill in the future.

Gardner said on Sept. 11, 2001, first responders did not hesitate when the nation needed them most.

“Congress made good on our country’s promise to never forget the heroism, service, and sacrifices from 9/11,” Gardner said. “Permanent reauthorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund is not just a New York, Washington, or Pennsylvania issue. It is an American issue. The heroes of 9/11 are living across the country, including in Colorado. While this bill will not stop 9/11 first responders from becoming ill, it gives them the support they’ve earned and desperately need. I look forward to the president quickly signing this bill into law.”