Long efforts pay off on 9/11 health funding |
When Rep. Andrew Garbarino campaigned to succeed former Rep. Pete King, King asked Garbarino to make a promise: Secure the future of the World Trade Center Health Program.
"It was probably the only thing I really insisted on. But it was like pushing an open door," King said. "He was all for it."
Garbarino kept that promise, as he tried secure permanent funding for 9/11 health care, while gaining power in Congress, now as chair of Homeland Security. Last month he reached a deal that fixes the program's funding formula, ensuring its future.
After two decades of advocacy, anyone suffering from 9/11-related illnesses will get the care they deserve for as long as they need it.
It wasn't long after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack that first responders and others who spent months breathing toxic air began suffering from the so-called World Trade Center cough. Related illnesses now include a host of cancers and other ailments. Thousands have died.
A roundup........