Legislation aimed at providing health care to 9/11 rescue workers sickened by toxic fumes and dust has been shot down in the Senate, leaving it unlikely to win approval during the current lame-duck session of Congress.
As reported by The New York Times, the bill was named for James Zadroga, a New York police detective who helped rescue efforts around Ground Zero in Manhattan and later developed chronic respiratory problems. The bill had already passed the House of Representatives in September.
Zadroga died in 2006 of respiratory complications. The city coroner determined that his service on rescue crews after the disaster was not a factor in his death, though the finding is disputed.
The Zadroga bill would have included $3.2 billion for monitoring and treatment of health problems stemming from exposure to dust and fumes at the site of the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001, and during the subsequent rescue efforts. The sponsors of the bill say that 60,000 people are enrolled in treatment and monitoring programs as a result of the 9/11 events.
The bill also called for the reopening of a $4.2 billion fund for people claiming job and other economic losses as a result of the attacks.
The legislation had earned the support of leading figures in New York City, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Yet it was rejected by a bloc of Republican senators, who objected to the $7.4 billion price tag. In a party-line vote of 57-42, Democrats fell slightly short of the 60 votes needed to advance the bill.
Bloomberg responded to the defeat with frustration. “The attacks of 9/11 were attacks on America, and we have a collective responsibility to care for the heroes, from all 50 states, who answered the call of duty, saved lives and helped our nation recover,” he said in a prepared statement.
The bill’s defeat means that those seeking federal funds for 9/11 rescue workers likely will have to start over with a new Congress in January. However, the Republican takeover of the House makes the bill’s prospects much dimmer, supporters say.
