The Freedom Tower

From the news desk of CommonDreams.org: Jan. 28, 2008

“9/11 responders who were made sick by the toxic air at Ground Zero traveled to Washington today to watch the President’s State of the Union Address from the House Gallery and join federal lawmakers and labor leaders in urging President Bush to include sufficient funding for unmet 9/11 health needs in the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget proposal. The lawmakers, labor leaders, and sick responders also demanded answers from the Administration about why the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suddenly decided last month to halt its plans for organizing an important health monitoring and treatment program for Ground Zero workers around the country, and advocated for passage of a comprehensive long-term program to help everyone exposed to 9/11 toxins.

“The 9/11 heroes in the Gallery tonight will represent the thousands of responders, residents and workers who were made sick by the toxic air at Ground Zero and have been desperately looking to their government and their President for help,” said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY). “Let’s hope the President finally gets it right in his last State of the Union address and tells the heroes of 9/11 that he wants to do right by them before he leaves office. It’s not too late to finally prioritize the health needs of those who risked life and limb to help their fellow citizens in the aftermath of 9/11, and are now suffering from serious – sometimes fatal – illnesses as a result of their heroism.”

“I am outraged that the Bush Administration continues to turn its back on the heroes of 9/11,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). “We need to provide medical care for the thousands of brave Americans who came to Ground Zero to help in the recovery efforts after the collapse of the World Trade Center. These failures of the White House are just the latest examples of the federal government’s continued malfeasance since 9/11. I urge the President, when delivering his state of the union tonight, to look these brave 9/11 workers in the eye and explain why he will not provide for those who gave so selflessly at Ground Zero.”

“We have made progress over the last year to begin getting the resources necessary to help our 9/11 heroes,” said Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY). “However, we now need a significant investment by the federal government into health monitoring and treatment for those who are sick or injured. In addition, the federal government must develop a comprehensive plan to address the health impacts of 9/11. We continue urging the White House to provide adequate funding in the 2009 budget to help all those who are sick or injured as a result of the terror attacks.”