Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and Congressman Peter T. King (NY-02), lead sponsors of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, sent a letter Friday to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie requesting their support for a memorial to honor the thousands of responders and survivors who have died or continue to suffer from the effects of the toxins that covered lower Manhattan in the weeks and months following the September 11^th attacks.

In the letter, the Members called on the Governors to “create a memorial on land near the National 9/11 Memorial dedicated to those injured, still ill today and those that have died from the attacks in years after.” They also discuss that, while healthcare and compensation programs have provided the help that so many of these first responders and survivors need and deserve, “we still must do more to acknowledge and recognize the impact that 9/11 continues to have to this day, not only to those who lost loved ones on 9/11, but for the thousands that continue to struggle with the health impacts of that day and the weeks and months that followed.”

In  December 2015, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act to provide $8.1 billion to fully fund the September 11^th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) for five additional years and make the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program effectively permanent.

A copy of the signed letter can be found here and full text below:

Dear Governor Cuomo and Governor Christie,

As the main sponsors of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, we write to you on the eve of the 15^th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to ask for your support in building a new memorial near the National 9/11 Memorial site to honor the thousands of responders and survivors (area residents, workers and students) who have passed away, or continue to suffer, from the effects of the toxins that covered lower Manhattan in the weeks and months following the attacks.

As you are aware, the bipartisan New York and New Jersey Congressional Delegations have worked for years to get the federal government to acknowledge and address the health crisis facing responders and survivors caused by the toxins at Ground Zero.

After years of fighting, and with your help, we managed last December to pass legislation to provide $8.1 billion to extend and fund the September 11^th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) and make the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program effectively permanent.

Now, with nearly 75,000 members nationwide, the WTC Health Program is providing healthcare to thousands of sick and injured responders and survivors. Additionally, thanks to the additional funding we were able to secure last year, the September 11^th VCF has provided compensation payments to more than 9,000 injured 9/11 responders and survivors who waited nearly 15 years for the help they need and deserve.

The extension of the Zadroga programs is a major accomplishment. However, we believe that we still must do more to acknowledge and recognize the impact that 9/11 continues to have to this day, not only to those who lost loved ones on 9/11, but for the thousands that continue to struggle with the health impacts of that day and the weeks and months that followed.

That is why we are urging you to help create a memorial on land near the National 9/11 Memorial dedicated to those injured, still ill today and those that have died from the attacks in years after.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has raised this with both of you, as well as with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and now, we too urge you to commit to making this a reality. As Borough President Brewer has suggested, this memorial does not need to be grand or expensive, but it should be built so that there is a public, physical acknowledgment of the health impacts on thousands of ill and injured responders, survivors and their families, still to this day now 15 years later and in the future.

We hope that you will help make this happen.

###