WASHINGTON (AP) — After a last-minute compromise, the Senate passed legislation Wednesday to provide up to $4.2 billion in new aid to survivors of the September 2001 terrorism attack on the World Trade Center in New York and responders who became ill working in its ruins.
A House vote was expected on the bill within hours as lawmakers raced to wrap up their work for the year before Christmas. President Obama has said he looks forward to signing the measure, though some supporters of the bill have criticized him for not getting more involved in the fight.
The measure was a product of a compromise involving Democratic Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
“The Christmas miracle we’ve been looking for has arrived,” Schumer and Gillibrand said in a joint statement.
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The Sept. 11 legislation provides money for monitoring and treating illnesses related to the World Trade Center site and reopens a victims’ compensation fund for another five years to cover wage and other economic losses of sickened workers and nearby residents. Schumer and Gillibrand had sought $6.2 billion and keeping the compensation fund open for 10 years.
“Every American recognizes the heroism of the 9/11 first responders, but it is not compassionate to help one group while robbing future generation of opportunity,” said Coburn, who led a Republican blockade against the bill. “This agreement strikes a fair balance.”
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised Congress for finally hammering out a bill.
“As we look forward to the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I am encouraged that our elected representatives in Washington came together and stood by those who were there for America in its hour of greatest need,” Bloomberg said.
The compromise was reached after Democrats scheduled a showdown test vote for Wednesday and Republicans countered by threatening to run a 30-hour clock before allowing final Senate and House votes on the bill. That would have required keeping both the Senate and House in session for votes on Christmas Eve.
Backers worried that the bill would face a much tougher fight in the new, more fiscally conservative Congress next January where Republicans will have a stronger hand.
Nearly 16,000 responders and 2,700 people living near the World Trade Center site are currently sick and receiving treatment, supporters of the bill said. More than 40,000 responders are in medical monitoring, backers said.
The bill would be paid for with a fee on some foreign firms that get U.S. government procurement contracts. The bill also calls for extending fees on certain firms that rely on H-1B and L-1 visas for their workers.
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Associated Press writers Donna Cassata and Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
