Gillibrand: ‘Moral Outrage’ Congress Not Reauthorizing Expired 9/11 First Responders Bill

DICKERSON: “Let me talk to you about the thing you've been working so hard on, which is getting funding for the 9/11 first responders. What's the state of the legislation and the funding for those who rushed in after the attack?”

GILLIBRAND: “Well, it's expired and I think it's a moral outrage that we are not standing by our first responders. These are the men and women who literally raced up towers when everyone else was coming down and did the awful and hard work of first looking for survivors and then looking for remains. And if you remember the days after 9/11, the toxins were streaming out of the site and they were breathing in these toxins for weeks and months. And, unfortunately, these men are now dying. More police officers have died since 9/11 than on 9/11. Over 200 first responders have died since 9/11 from these diseases. And there are thousands that are sick. There's tens of thousands who are being treated today in every state in the country. And I think it's a moral outrage that members of Congress are not doing the right thing and standing by this. We need to reauthorize the program. It needs to be permanent. We've had this program up and running for five years. There's been no fraud. It's been seamless. And we've treated cancers and other diseases that are now directly caused by 9/11 toxins it's been proven. So there's no reason that anyone should stand in the way. And if they do, they're putting politics before people. And I think it is a grave mistake to not support them.”