Lawmakers Seek Permanent 9/11 Victim Compensation Funding

Miguel Moreno
By Miguel Moreno
February 26, 2019New York
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Lawmakers, first responders, and families of the terrorists’ victims on Feb. 25 attended the introduction to a bill that would remove the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund’s budget cap at the Capitol.

The introduction to the bill comes weeks after an announcement was made by the fund’s special master Rupa Bhattacharyya, notifying of a policy change that would cut claims by 50 or 70 percent. Prompting the policy change: an influx of claimants applied after Bhattacharyya published its Notice of Inquiry—an inquiry explaining the fund’s limited resources.

After the attack, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, including first responders, were exposed to hazardous dust, which according to The Mesothelioma Center contained asbestos. Exposure to these substances can lead to mesothelioma and asbestosis. The bill is intended to compensate the victims who were harmed by the attack, as well as the victims’ families.

Comedian Among the Support

Former host of “The Daily Show” and longtime supporter of 9/11 responders, Jon Stewart, joined Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Sen. Cory Gardner, (R-Colo.), and others in support of the bill. Stewart did not fail to include humor in his predominantly stern speech, criticizing what he considers a first responder’s need to beg for money.

“This is nonsense. This is theater. You know it and I know it,” Stewart said. “If the American people in their busy lives had any sense that these shenanigans were going on, they would be outraged.”

Though there was tremendous support for the bill at the Capitol, in New York, there were some concerns over it. New Yorker Gahan Gaskins believes that the fund is being used like an udder.

“The fund is great, but it was a long time ago and I think that the lawyers are milking it,” said Gaskins. “Because everybody knows: it happened in 2001, it’s 2019; everyone who got sick knows they’re sick.”

Michael Long, former chairman of the Conservative Party of New York State said that people abusing the system is always a concern.

“There are human beings that will do the wrong thing to try to gain the system,” said Long. “It has to be very clear that the person or persons who are being assisted clearly can establish that [the] problem was because of the 9/11 attack.”

What Remains of the Fund?

The fund was reauthorized twice by former President Barack Obama, with the last authorization extending the fund for five years in 2015 and appropriating a budget of $7.3 billion dollars. So far nearly $5 billion have been awarded on more than 21,000 claims, leaving approximately $2.4 billion left.

In announcing the policy change, Bhattacharyya said, “I could not abide a plan that would leave some claimants uncompensated,” adding that appropriate compensation would be given to all approved claims.

The Associated Press Contributed to this article.

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