Zadroga “9-11 Heroes” Act Signed Into Law by President
By Dr. Alan J. Lipman
Published: January 2, 2011
Today, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced that the H.R. 847, the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act,” was signed into law by President Obama.
The law, which, as Gibbs announced “establishes the World Trade Center Health Program and extends and expands eligibility for compensation under the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001,” provides up to $4.2 billion in support to those who survived the attack at ground zero and served as responders at the site.
Republicans had promised that, until the tax cuts passed by President Bush were signed into law, they would prevent
passage of the Zadroga Bill.
The bill was also notable for a personal campaign waged on-air by Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who devoted a sharp segment of his last show of the year to the bill, relentlessly criticizing the Republican members for their hypocrisy in using 9/11 as a “catchphrase”, yet refusing to pass a bill that provided aid to first responders at Ground Zero. The segment featured on-set interviews with first responders, as well as a package juxtaposing Republican rhetoric on 9/11 with their actual votes on the Zadroga bill.
In a compromise reached days before the holiday recess, Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand, both Democrats of NY were able to find new common ground with Sen. Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma. He and other Republicans had previously been blocking the bill.
Photo via thebigbukowski2.blogspot.com
Tagged with: 9/11, Jon Stewart, zadroga
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