Senator Rand Paul.Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Wednesday objected to a Democratic effort to speedily pass a bipartisan bill extending funding for theSeptember 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Though Paul, from Kentucky, opposed New York Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand‘s motion to send the legislation to PresidentDonald Trump‘s desk via unanimous consent, hesaid later on Twitterhe did not object to the bill itself. Rather, he wanted to ensure there was at least debate on how it should be funded.
Gillibrand, a co-sponsor of the bill, criticized the move from the Senate floor.
“Enough of the political games,” she said. “Our 9/11 first responders and the entire nation are watching to see if this body actually cares.”
“Senator Paul is not blocking anything. He is simply seeking to pay for it,” his office said in a statement to PEOPLE. “As with any bill, Senator Paul always believes it needs to be paid for. Senator Paul is simply offering an amendment, which other senators support, to pay for this legislation.”
Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, added a hold as well,The Washington Postreported, though his office told the paper his concern was about oversight of the new money.
Inan appearance on CNN, John Feal, a 9/11 responder and advocate, had sharp words for the senators objections.
“We’re not begging. We’re demanding. We don’t beg for anything anymore,” he said. “They work for us. They should be begging for forgiveness for being a——- for the past 15 years.”
“The people from the state of Kentucky and the people from the state of Utah deserve better,” Feal said on Fox News.
If passed into law, the bill would secure funding for the VCF through 2092. It would cost about $10.2 billion in further payments over a decade, according to an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, the Associated Press reports.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.Alex Wong/Getty Images
Fund officials have said the fund is running out of money more quickly than expected given the increasing number of claims from Sept. 11 survivors, responders and their families.
Gillibrand, 52, said she was “deeply disappointed” in Paul’s objection to a “desperately needed and urgent bill.”
Still, the Senate is expected to pass the bill ahead of its summer recess on Aug. 2, according toThe Hill.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnellhas insisted they will acton the issue, which has made national headlinesas responders continue to speak outabout needed health care funding.
Experts say tens of thousands of responders and other recovery workers have developed health conditions, including cancer, as a result of their work in the aftermath of the attacks.
source: people.com
