9/11 health bill falls short in Senate test vote

**jackalope** · 9th December 2010 02:14 PM

9/11 health bill falls short in Senate test vote
Senate Republicans block bill to help 9/11 responders, survivors sickened by trade center dust

ANDREW MIGA
AP News

Dec 09, 2010 12:56 EST

Senate Republicans on Thursday derailed a bill to aid people who got sick after exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse in the Sept. 11 attack.

Supporters were three votes short of the 60 needed to proceed to debate and a final vote on the bill that would have provided as much as $7.4 billion in health care and compensation to 9/11 responders and survivors. The bill failed on a test vote, 57-42.

Fifty-seven Democrats voted for the bill and 41 Republicans opposed it. Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic leader, switched his vote to 'no' at the last moment, a parliamentary move that allows him to bring the measure up again for a vote.

Backers of the legislation see this lame-duck session of Congress as possibly its last chance. The bill has passed the House.

Republican senators have promised not to consider any other bills until the Senate acts on funding the government and extending tax cuts.

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9/11 health bill falls short in Senate test vote | TPM News Pages

If this isn't passed in the lame duck, will Boehner bring it up again next Congress, so the Senate can pass it then?

Are the Republicans SERIOUS that they are concerned about paying for this (Republican leadership in the Senate did not respond to a request for comment. In the past, as the New York Times reports, "Republicans have been raising concerns about how to pay for the $7.4 billion measure."), but had no concerns about funding the mountains of billions for the wealthiest Americans?

**Granite** · 9th December 2010 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by jackalope

If this isn't passed in the lame duck, will Boehner bring it up again next Congress, so the Senate can pass it then?

Are the Republicans SERIOUS that they are concerned about paying for this (Republican leadership in the Senate did not respond to a request for comment. In the past, as the New York Times reports, "Republicans have been raising concerns about how to pay for the $7.4 billion measure."), but had no concerns about funding the mountains of billions for the wealthiest Americans?

More unnecessary billions in spending by the government...just to make the politicians feel good about themselves.

Time to let this horse die.

**jackalope** · 9th December 2010 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by JoJoGunne

More unnecessary billions in spending by the government...just to make the politicians feel good about themselves.

Time to let this horse die.

This is NOT unnecessary spending. These people lost their health in service to our country, responding to an act of war on our our country. They are our responsibility. The 'horse' isn't gonna die - the responders are. It's morally reprehensible to not live up to our responsibility to them. This is NOT to make politicians feel good about themselves.
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**Mertex** · 9th December 2010 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by JoJoGunne

More unnecessary billions in spending by the government...just to make the politicians feel good about themselves.

Time to let this horse die.

Spoken by a true heartless Republican - (oh, I forgot, you are not a Republican, you just think and act like one!) And, these aren't horses that are suffering from the effects of that dust, they are people!

But, that is great that the rich are going to get their more than fair share of tax cuts - Thanx conservatives!

**Hollyw00d** · 9th December 2010 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by JoJoGunne

More unnecessary billions in spending by the government...just to make the politicians feel good about themselves.

Time to let this horse die.

But those people are HEROES. Don't you remeber all those nice photo ops of President Bush tand the mayor of NYC alking about what heroes they all were? Why just a few weeks ago you cons were just hysterical in your outrage over a Muslim Community Center being built even near that "sacred ground". I guess to you only real estate is sacred and should be respected and revered, actual people are toilet paper to be discarded once they have served their political purpose.

**jackalope** · 9th December 2010 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Hollywood

But those people are HEROES. Don't you remeber all those nice photo ops of President Bush tand the mayor of NYC alking about what heroes they all were? Why just a few weeks ago you cons were just hysterical in your outrage over a Muslim Community Center being built even near that "sacred ground". I guess to you only real estate is sacred and should be respected and revered, actual people are toilet paper to be discarded once they have served their political purpose.

That IS jarring. The site of an old Burlington Coat Factory warehouse is sacred, and must be honored, but the people who searched for survivors ... and then victims ... are not worth our time or money.

**Sgt Meowenstein** · 9th December 2010 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by jackalope

That IS jarring. The site of an old Burlington Coat Factory warehouse is sacred, and must be honored, but the people who searched for survivors ... and then victims ... are not worth our time or money.

Yeah it's disgusting isn't it? Don't you dare build a house of worship anywhere near ground zero because it's 'sacred ground'; but health care for heroes? Forget it. The Republican priority is tax cuts for the rich. That's it. Oh, and to see Obama fail no matter what it takes.

**jackalope** · 9th December 2010 04:26 PM

Originally Posted by Sgt Meowenstein

Yeah it's disgusting isn't it? Don't you dare build a house of worship anywhere near ground zero because it's 'sacred ground'; but health care for heroes? Forget it. The Republican priority is tax cuts for the rich. That's it. Oh, and to see Obama fail no matter what it takes.

There is no honor in this position. Every damn one of them voted against this.

**Stefan Bandera** · 9th December 2010 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by jackalope

This is NOT unnecessary spending. These people lost their health in service to our country, responding to an act of war on our our country. They are our responsibility. The 'horse' isn't gonna die - the responders are. It's morally reprehensible to not live up to our responsibility to them. This is NOT to make politicians feel good about themselves.
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Do you not get it ? Republicans prefer to do things for the Non-Responders, the chicken-hawks, the non-participants, the non-doers, and various other non-contributors, ......

**Mertex** · 9th December 2010 08:35 PM

Originally Posted by Stefan Bandera

Do you not get it ? Republicans prefer to do things for the Non-Responders, the chicken-hawks, the non-participants, the non-doers, and various other non-contributors, ......

So much for the sensitivity bull crap. They don't even know how to spell the word much less live it.