Currents News Staff
On June 25, 9/11 first responders emerged from a face-to-face meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, appearing more hopeful than they did about two weeks ago during a hearing on the 9/11 victims fund, where John Stewart gave an explosive testimony on Capitol Hill, shaming lawmakers for not showing up.
“These men and women uniform and non-uniform, the children of lower Manhattan are sick and dying, and there are families being left in financial ruins,” said 9/11 first responder John Feal.
“We’re going to leave here and Luis Alvarez is going to die. And in that meeting, we gave Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Luis Alvarez’ badge.”
9/11 responders hope that badge will keep them at the top of McConnell’s priorities, and remind him that the men and women who put their lives on the line during 9/11 need someone to have their backs now.
“And if he strays from his commitment, we’ll go back into attack mode,” Feal said.
According to the first responders, McConnell committed to a vote on the victims fund in August.
For now, they’re taking him at his word.
“For the first time he said he sensed the urgency, unfortunately there’s more people sick than the money that exists in the fund currently,” explained retired FDNY firefighter and 9/11 first responder Kenny Specht.
“We don’t care how they do it. We just want it done,” said Feal.