Second chance at 9/11 first responders bill – demand an up or down vote!

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Forty-one of the 42 Republican Senators voted against cloture on the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, with one Republican, Sen. Sam Brownback of Kentucky Kansas, abstaining.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) stepped around a first responder asking for his support, telling him “I can’t help you.” And then there was this, John McCain: why are we "fooling around" with the 9/11 first responders bill?

Last week, an incensed Jon Stewart invited 9/11 first responders to the Daily Show to offer their thoughts on this callous behavior. “Disgusted” and “hurt” by their actions, the rescue workers admonished Republicans for using the holiday schedule and Senate process as an excuse to block desperately needed help.

Recounting their criticism on Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) why he couldn’t “find a way to give these heroes peace of mind when it comes to health care.” His lame-ass excuse: Kyl Denies Health Care For 9/11 Rescue Workers Because He Doesn’t Want To ‘Hurry’:

Kyl’s excuses fall flat in the face of fact. Any cries for more time ignore that both the Senate and House version of the Zadroga bill have been available to Kyl since 2009. If a year with the text wasn’t enough, Kyl was free to attend the bill’s June 2010 Senate hearing he insists never happened. Had he shown up, he would’ve learned that the bill is very clear on who is eligible for funding. First responders can pursue compensation established by the Zadroga bill to bolster any coverage already received from the current health fund set up in New York City.

More outrageous than Kyl’s constant lies is the truth behind GOP’s miscarriage of responsibility. The Zadroga bill was originally funded by ending a special tax loophole exploited by foreign corporations that do business in the U.S. But because the party’s puppeteer, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, insisted that ending the tax loophole would “damage U.S. relationships with major trading partners,” Republicans quickly and quietly lined up against the bill. In a last ditch effort to secure their support, Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY) replaced that funding measure with a new offset that places “a 2 percent fee on procurement contracts for certain countries, combined with a visa fee.” Now, it seems Republicans are magically on board and, according to Gillibrand (D-NY), willing to pass the bill by Christmas.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) seems confident she has found a way to get the Zadroga bill passed after it died last week. Some Republicans to support 9/11 Health Bill?:

Mark Kirk (R-IL) is already on board, and Snowe & Collins of Maine, as well as Murkowski of Alaska are believed to be votes as well. There is a fair amount of Fox News "fair and balanced" in this ABC report but at least the mainstream media is bothering to mention the root causes of this failure, perhaps shamed into it by Jon Stewart.

Via ABC News:

Senate Republicans last week derailed a bill that would provide $7.4 billion in health care and compensation to 9/11 responders and survivors, but Gillibrand today voiced confidence that the Senate will pass the bill in the next week, now that lawmakers have agreed on how to pay for the measure.

"We have the votes we need," Gillibrand said today at a press conference on Capitol Hill. "We've had indications from several Republicans that they very much want to vote for this bill.

"They would like to vote for a stand-alone bill," she said. "There is general agreement on a new pay-for that we're going to offer, so the hope is to get to the bill as soon as the START bill is completed."

And what is this face-saving move that will allow Republicans to vote for it? Susan Collins of Maine (again) details the Republican objections:

Collins is the GOP's point person on the matter, and has been working with Gillibrand to find new means to off-set the costs of the $7.4 billion bill.

"I support the 9/11 health bill on the merits, and I have talked with Senator Gillibrand about the need for legitimate ways of offsetting its cost," Collins said in a statement on Thursday. "If the Majority Leader were to bring the bill to the floor with appropriate offsets, I would support the legislation."

Gillibrand's new offer.

The off-set in the House-passed measure would close tax loopholes for foreign companies, a move that Collins has objected to on the grounds that it would violate international tax treaties.

Today Gillibrand said that the new off-set would be a 2 percent fee on procurement contracts for certain countries, combined with a visa fee.

As Think Progress noted, Collins and the Republicans reasons are completely bogus.

Call your senators and demand an up or down vote on this bill. It will be scheduled after a vote on the New START Treaty.

The feckless political media in Arizona should bring pressure to bear on Arizona's twin embarrassments, Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, who have really outdone themselves in shockingly shameful behavior during this lame-duck session. The media's silence is stunning.