Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul are trying to block S. 546 Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, the bipartisan bill that would provide for those sickened by the dust of the World Trade Center.
Sen. Mike Lee (Utah) has put a procedural hold on SS.546, which essentially blocks the bill from coming up for vote. He has done this despite the bill having enough support from both parties to pass.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand then asked her colleagues for a unanimous consent agreement on the Senate floor, which would send the bill directly to the President without a vote. Sen. Rand Paul (Kentucky) countered this move by objecting to the bill’s cost, report Marisa Schultz, Nikki Schwab and Aaron Feis for the NY Post.
A group of those sickened by their work at the site were waiting in Congress, as they have for so long.
One of them, Gerard Fitzgerald, president of New York’s Uniformed Firefighters Association, told reporters, “We tried to speak with somebody in [Senator Lee’s] office and we weren’t given attention. If he’s not on board, we’d appreciate a reason why.”
While too busy to meet with September 11th heroes, Senator Lee did have time for his weekly “Jell-O Wednesday” event.
