U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) on Sept. 10 joined several congressional lawmakers and 9/11 responders, survivors and community advocates in urging Congress to pass the bipartisan, bicameral 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act.
If enacted, H.R. 4965/S.2683, which were introduced in August, would amend the Public Health Service Act regarding flexibility and funding for the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program administered under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and authorized through 2090 to provide no-cost medical monitoring and treatment for certified WTC-related health conditions to those directly affected by the 9/11 attacks in New York, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pa.
“I’m proud to co-lead this bill to replenish funding for this critical health program so that it continues to have the resources to care for every person who needs it,” Rep. Garbarino said during last week’s press conference, which was also attended by fellow bill cosponsors U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
The proposed measure would address an expected funding shortfall in the WTC Health Program due to medical inflation increasing faster than regular inflation, a growing number of responders and survivors becoming sick, and the complexities of treating complicated health conditions, such as cancer, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Garbarino’s staff.
“Over time we have learned that the number of people affected by 9/11-related illnesses is much greater than originally thought,” Rep. Garbarino said.
The bill also would authorize the program to develop a research cohort to study the impact of the toxic exposures and psychological trauma on the more than 35,000 people who were children at the time of the attack and resided or attended school or daycare in the New York City disaster area in the aftermath of the attack, the summary says.
“Twenty years after the devastation of 9/11, survivors and first responders are still suffering the aftermath of that day in the form of cancers and other illnesses borne from the toxic debris that hovered over the pile and throughout lower Manhattan,” said Rep. Garbarino. “Their illnesses are a direct result of a foreign terror attack on this country, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have access to the care that they need.”
Other press conference attendees, including Mario Cilento, president of the New York State AFL-CIO; Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; and Liam Guilfoyle, Captain’s Representative of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 854, were among several who endorsed the bill.