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NEW YORK, N.Y. - This week, Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) was honored at a Commemoration of the 22nd Anniversary of 9/11 hosted by Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act Inc. in New York City for his "efforts over the years in fighting for injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors" and his "instrumental work in obtaining additional funding in the 2022 Omnibus spending bill and one of the lead sponsors of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Funding Correction Act of 2023 HR. 1294/S.569." Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act Inc. was created by the unions and groups that worked to get Washington to finally respond to the health crisis facing many, reopen the Victim Compensation Fund, and create the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).
Also honored at the event were Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, General Secretary-Treasury Emeritus Armand E. Sabitoni, and the members of Laborers’ International Union of North America who have been champions of the 9/11 community.
"Fighting to fund the World Trade Center Health Program is one of my top priorities in Congress," said Rep. Garbarino. "I am proud to sponsor the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act, along with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. This is not a partisan issue. It is a New York issue, it is an American issue, and it is an issue that we are going to work on together until it is resolved. I am honored to receive this recognition, but there is much more work to be done. We will keep chipping away at this funding shortfall piece by piece until we get all that the program needs."
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“Congressman Garbarino in his short time in Congress really has become a champion of getting Congress to do the right thing and respond to the health issues facing so many injured and ill 911 responders and survivors, that is why Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act is honoring him for his efforts,” said Benjamin Chevat, Executive Director of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act Inc.
During his remarks at the event, Andrew Ansbro, President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York said, "We all made a promise 22 years ago to 'Never Forget', and I know those of us in this room haven't, and I'm relieved to say that neither has Andrew Garbarino. It's been a long fight, a never-ending fight, but a fight of the highest importance...It's a fight to ensure that Washington 'Never Forgets' that America has a responsibility to care for those that continue to get sick and die...Andrew Garbarino has been here fighting for us and we are lucky to have him."
Congress established the WTCHP on a bipartisan basis in 2011 with a five-year authorization to provide medical treatment and monitoring for 9/11 responders and survivors suffering from the effects of the toxins at Ground Zero. The program covers the lifespans of all exposed, including responders and survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the Shanksville crash site, children who were in schools in downtown Manhattan on 9/11 and during clean-up, and those who have since experienced, or are expected to experience, adverse health effects that are linked to the attacks in the coming years. The program was reauthorized in 2015 and extended through 2090 with bipartisan support. Unfortunately, this funding is not enough to keep pace with the anticipated costs of providing the program’s services for over 124,000 9/11 responders and survivors, who span all fifty states and 434 of the 435 congressional districts. In response, lawmakers delivered $1 billion for the program in the 2022 end-of-year spending bill and are working to secure an additional $676 million through this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
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