OP-ED
Keeping a promise to the 9/11 first responders
BY CONGRESSWOMAN
CAROLYN B. MALONEY
Last week, we lost an
incredible New Yorker –
an American hero – NYPD
Detective Luis Alvarez. I
vowed that we would finish
his last mission – to take
care of the 9/11 community.
On July 11, the House is
scheduled to finally vote
to fully fund and make
permanent the September
11th Victim Compensation
Fund to take care of every
first responder, construction
worker, volunteer, and
survivor who is now sick
and the spouses left alone
and the children left without
parents because of illnesses
caused by 9/11.
In honor of NYPD
Detective James Zadroga,
the first person to die
from 9/11 illness; FDNY
Firefighter Ray Pfeifer
and NYPD Detetive Luis
Alvarez, who dedicated their
last breaths to fighting for
the 9/11 community; and for
all the heroes who are still
dealing with the effects of
9/11 each and every day, we
will get this done and send
this bill to the
president’s desk.
We have a
double moral
obligation to
these heroic
men and women.
Not only were
they there for
us in one of our
nation’s darkest
hours, but our
government told
all those who
worked on the
pile and lived,
worked, and went
to school near
Ground Zero that
the air was safe
to breathe, and
water was safe
to drink when it
wasn’t. They are sick because
of us.
Last month, Congress
heard from Anesta St.
Rose Henry as she testified
in front of the House
Committee on the Judiciary,
sitting in front of two of her
children that she is now
raising alone. She lost her
husband Candidus Henry
less than a month earlier to
glioblastoma, a rare brain
cancer, connected to his
time working on the pile at
Ground Zero.
She told us and the
American people about
C a n d i d u s ,
and the hole
he left behind
– a hole only
made larger
by the fact
that, because
her husband
died in May
instead of two
years ago,
she and her
family will not
receive a full
award from
the September
11th Victim
Compensation
Fund (VCF)
b e c a u s e
the fund is
c u r r e n t l y
facing a budget
shortfall.
The Special Master of the
Fund announced in February
that, because of lack of
funding, it was forced to start
cutting awards by 50 to 70
percent to extend the fund’s
life. The Henrys are one of
the families devastated by
this reduction.
But we will fix that by
passing this bill.
Not only does the Never
Forget the Heroes fully fund
and make permanent the
VCF for the future, but it also
directs the Special Master
to revisit all the reduced
awards paid out to the 9/11
community because of the
budget shortfall and make
these families whole.
After 9/11, we vowed to
Never Forget and with that,
we made a commitment to
make sure every 9/11 first
responder and survivor, and
their families, never have
to go without the support
they need or deserve. It is
the very least we can do as a
grateful nation.
Congresswoman Maloney
represents New York’s 12th
Congressional District
spanning parts of Queens
and Manhattan.
ON THE WEB
LAST WEEK’S TOP STORY:
These fi ve Queens neighborhoods saw the highest average drops in
real estate prices in June
SUMMARY: A new report takes a look at which Queens
neighborhoods experienced a drop in real estate listing prices throughout
June.
VISIT US ONLINE AT QNS.COM
CHECK OUT OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES:
www.facebook.com/timesledger
www.twitter.com/TimesLedger
www.instagram.com/qnsgram
LETTERS POLICY
Letters should be typed or neatly handwritten, and those longer than 300
words may be edited for brevity and clarity. All letters must include the
writer’s name and phone number for verification. Names may be withheld
from publication if requested, but anonymously sent letters will not be
printed. Letters must be received by Thursday noon to appear in the next
week’s paper. All letters become the property of Schneps Media and may be
republished in any format.
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM BT JULY 12-18, 2019 17
/timesledger
/TimesLedger
/qnsgram
/QNS.COM
/timesledger
/TimesLedger
/qnsgram
/TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM
