The House Republicans yesterday blocked a Democratic plan to provide $7.4 billion in funding to rescue workers and recovery workers who have since fallen ill — or even those who might fall ill at some indeterminate time — even if there was no evidence their ailment was related to the dust at Ground Zero.
"This bill would have just opened up the floodgates to anyone seeking compensation, regardless of the causal link," says ACSH's Jeff Stier. "We've already seen this in the settlement of the lawsuit. And this legislation would provide funds over and above the compensation from that case."
Republicans were able to block the bill because Democrats tried to bring it up under a special procedure that forbids amendments, so it required a two-thirds margin to pass. Although there's a chance the bill could be back in the fall, Stier is happy to see it defeated for now.
