Sisters and Brothers,
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), which provides desperately needed financial help to thousands of injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors who live in every state, is facing a funding shortfall. The VCF has announced that, unless Congress acts, injured 9/11 responders and survivors, who have been waiting for assistance for years, will be seeing severe cuts in the compensation they were expecting and deserve.
Worse still, unless we force Congress to do something, the VCF is set to close its doors at the end of 2020, just as thousands more who need help are being diagnosed with 9/11 related illnesses.
This cannot be allowed to happen.
We need you to call your Member of Congress now and get them to cosponsor the legislation, “Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act,” that would fill any shortfalls in funding for the VCF and permanently authorize the Fund to remain open for years to come.
Passing this bill would allow the VCF to reverse the cuts in awards that it just announced.
Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadora Act has created a way that will make it easy for you to contact your Member of Congress and do that.
Click here to take action. When you arrive on the page, type in your address to find your Members of Congress, and whether they have signed on to cosponsor the bill yet and if not, what their phone number is so you can call them.
Unless Congress acts, this program will shut down and thousands of 9/11 heroes and heroines across the country will be unable to receive the compensation for their injuries that they desperately need.
This legislation will ensure the continued availability of compensation for responders and survivors and make sure they get the help they need, as well as ensure benefits for those that we know will be coming down with cancer in the years to come.
This is not just an issue for New York residents — 9/11 responders live in every state. We need your help to convince Members of Congress from outside the northeast to support the bill. We want to ensure that the bill has overwhelming support so that we can fully fund the VCF and keep it open.
Please make your call today to urge your members of Congress to cosponsor the Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act. If they are already cosponsors, please thank them for supporting injured and ill 9/11 responders.
Please share this message and urge your friends, neighbors and Sisters and Brothers to join you in contacting your Members of Congress.
Remembering 9/11 should be more than a Bumper Sticker.
Background:
Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act is a coalition of advocates working to make sure that Washington, DC does the right thing and fully funds and keeps open the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Rescue and recovery workers breathed in a toxic stew of chemicals, asbestos, pulverized cement, and other health hazards released into the air when the towers fell, and during the month’s long recovery effort afterwards. The dust cloud that rolled through lower Manhattan after the attacks settled in homes, offices, and buildings – exposing tens of thousands more to the same toxins.
Today, more than 45,000 people are struggling with illnesses or injuries caused by the attacks. They live in every state and 434 out of 435 Congressional districts nationwide. Many are disabled and can no longer work. They are suffering from a host of chronic diseases: asthma, obstructive pulmonary disease, and gastroesophageal reflux disease, to name but a few. Medical research has identified more than 60 types of cancer caused by 9/11 toxins. Over 10,000 9/11 responders and survivors have been diagnosed with cancers caused or made worse by 9/11 – a number that is sure to grow in the years to come.
Over 200 NYPD officers have reportedly passed away from 9/11-related illnesses, more than the number who died on 9/11 itself. Over 182 firefighters have died of 9/11 illnesses, as well. Many other responders and survivors have died from their 9/11 illnesses, are experiencing deteriorating health despite sound medical treatment, or are becoming progressively disabled.