Obstruction Watch Cont'd: Senate Republicans Block Debate on Health Care Bill for Ground Zero Worker

CWA Verizon members are among those who worked at Ground Zero.

Months ago, the House of Representatives voted to cover medical treatment and monitoring for workers exposed to toxins at Ground Zero, where workers, including hundreds of CWAers, were on the job following the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

And 57 Senators voted to move the bill forward for a full debate in the Senate. But that majority vote wasn’t enough, because 41 Senate Republicans refused to allow the bill to go forward and killed progress on the health monitoring and coverage for 9-11 responders and workers.

The Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, named for a New York City police officer who died of cancer believed to be linked to his exposure at Ground Zero, needed 60 votes to pass under the current and increasingly out-of-whack Senate rules. Republicans were able to block the measure by refusing to allow any debate.

CWA has been a big part of the fight to monitor the health of Ground Zero workers and gain state and federal laws to support their medical care.