Jonathan D. Salant The Jersey Journal
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur introduced legislation Thursday to enable the federal government to help fund the National September 11 Memorial in New York City.
A look at the World Trade Center Lights on the 13th anniversary of 9/11 from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Matt Gade The Jersey Journal
The memorial at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan has been funded with private donations. MacArthur’s measure would authorize up to $25 million a year for operations and maintenance, though the money would have to be approved in a separate spending bill. It would designate the site as a national memorial.
“I was working in New York City when terrorists tore a hole in the skyline and nearly 3,000 Americans lost their lives,” said MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.). “We can never forget the tragic events of that day, which have changed our lives forever, and I want to ensure that this memorial site will be here for years to come giving millions of people around the world the chance to honor the lives that were lost that day.”
The memorial encompasses the sites of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, which were destroyed on September 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists hijacked two U.S. airplanes and crashed them into the buildings.
More than 20 million people have visited the site in the last four years, National September 11 Memorial President Joe Daniels said. “It will forever remind our nation of how Americans, with resilience and commitment, rebuilt what hatred destroyed,” he said.
