"Our country can’t afford to turn our backs on the September 11 families, first-responders and veterans who have answered the call of service," Rieckhoff stated on Tuesday. "We urge every lawmakers on the hill to support the continuation of the Zadroga Act."
The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act authorizes benefits to first responders who suffered injuries or illnesses related to their efforts on September 11, 2001, when almost 3,000 people were killed in al-Qaeda attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon.
Those benefits are set to expire by the end of September 2016.
"We have a moral obligation to care for the brave men and women who sacrificed their health and well-being in the search for victims of the September 11 attacks," Congressman Chris Gibson said.
At least 94 New York Police Department officers and 110 firefighters have reportedly died of their injuries and illnesses acquired while responding on September 11 and the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, according to IAVA.
