NEW YORK Congress can never do anything about the growing numbers of people still dying from 9/11, but the Senate voted Tuesday to ensure the words Never Forget will never be just a slogan for the cops, firefighters and everyone else to ran toward the twin towers after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.
The Senate voted 97-2 to pass the Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act, and send it to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law Friday.
Only Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee voted against it.
Sitting in the Senate gallery for the passage was Alvarezs son, David, and Pfeifers widow, Caryn.
Both said the passage would never fill the void left by the two men, who both died of 9/11-linked cancer after battling to win passage of 9/11 legislation.
Its bittersweet. Today is finally the day that we can put this thing to rest, said Caryn Pfeifer. Were going to the White House, and then all the heroes can rest in peace. Their families will be taken care of, they can get through their treatments and not worry.
The bill will enshrine in law the federal governments ability to ease the economic losses and pain still being inflicted on people who spent days and months breathing the fumes and toxins unleashed after the South and North Towers of the trade center imploded, and smoldered for months.
The new bill would cost at least $10.2 billion over the first 10 years, but would be open-ended to deal with whatever the need turns out to be until 2092.
Pfeifer died in 2017, after helping in the push to renew 9/11 legislation in 2015. That bill made health care permanent, but funded only five more years of the Victim Compensation Fund.
The Department of Justice administrator slashed its payouts by more than half in February, saying most of the money was gone.
Soon afterward, Alvarez made his first visit to D.C. with dozens of others from the FealGood Foundation advocacy group. He explained at the time that he was taken care of, but wanted to make sure others were as well.
He returned in June, weaker and gaunt, with former talk show host Jon Stewart to deliver his denunciation of Congress for making responders come to Washington again and again. He and Stewarts testimony galvanized attention, and a month and a half later, the bill is about to become law.
It means hundreds of ailing survivors and responders who have seen their compensation slashed will be made whole, financially.
David Alvarez said he was proud of his father, and glad the bill named for him passed. But it will never make the Alvarez family whole.
Its difficult to be here without my father, Alvarez said. Im at peace knowing that hes at rest and at peace knowing that this is passed, and his name will live on with it. But having to go through many more milestones without him in my life will be very difficult.
