The U.S. Senate approved legislation to help those who responded to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. The path for approval on a voice vote was secured earlier today when Senate Republicans agreed to drop their opposition to the legislation.
“The Christmas miracle we’ve been looking for has arrived,” Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Democrats, in a statement.
The bill provides for $4.3 billion in additional aid over five years, with $1.5 billion for health benefits and $2.7 billion for compensation, said Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklaahoma Republican who had been opposing the bill because of cost concerns. The House initially earmarked $7.5 million and the Senate was considering a $6.2 billion bill.
In addition, Coburn said, the legislation would close the victims’ compensation fund in 2016 instead of 2031 and would include workers’ compensation payments in determining benefits that victims would receive for injuries or ailments related to work at the World Trade Center site in New York.
“Every American recognizes the heroism of the 9/11 first responders, but it is not compassionate to help one group while robbing future generations of opportunity,” Coburn, a medical doctor, said in a statement.
The legislation now goes to the House, where Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said his chamber would vote on it before adjourning for the year.
