Senate rejects bill to aid 9/11 workers



Teamsters working on Ground Zero.

 Republicans in the Senate this afternoon blocked a bill to provide health care for 9/11 workers who got sick from working at Ground Zero. The vote was 57-42, with all Republicans voting against the bill, which needed 60 votes to move forward.


The New York Times reports

The Senate action created huge uncertainty over the future of the bill. Its proponents were working on Thursday to have the legislation inserted into a large tax-cut bill that Republicans and Democrats are trying to pass before Congress ends it current session later this month.

The bill was named after James Zadroga, an NYPD officer who responded on 9/11 and later died of a respiratory disease caused by exposure at Ground Zero. The Teamsters, who have members who worked on the pile, strongly support the bill.