Zadroga bill is finally law; India, China to pay for it



Teamsters working at Ground Zero.

 President Obama signed the bill into law on Sunday. It's named after James Zadroga, a NYPD officer who died of illnesses related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Thousands of first responders and cleanup workers got seriously ill working at Ground Zero after the attacks.


Reports Reuters:

The five-year, $4.3 billion measure will provide medical treatment for emergency responders sickened by toxic dust inhaled at the World Trade Center site...It also includes a health program for responders sickened by the toxic debris and establishes a victims' ... fund.

Best of all, the workers' medical costs are paid for by a small tax on goods and services sourced from contractors in countries like India, China and Thailand. Another source of funds: a steep fee hike on work visas from 2014 to 2021.

dnaindia.com reports Indian officials are angry.

Commerce minister Anand Sharma slammed the bill as “retrograde” after it passed Congress at the close of the session on December 22.

TeamsterNation doubts that any Teamster tears will be shed because of that. Or this:

The H-1B visa program that catapults Indians into Silicon Valley and Wall Street is on track to leaving thousands of spots unfilled for the first time since 2003.