Washington • Under fire for blocking legislation to extend the compensation fund for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Sen. Mike Lee is seeking to limit the program to a little more than $10 billion over the next decade.
His amendment falls short of the goal set by the bill’s sponsors — and what the House overwhelmingly approved — which is to extend the program through 2092, making it so these first responders do not have to return to Congress seeking money again.
“I do not want to stop the bill’s consideration and believe we can and should address the health needs of those first responders of the u202a9/11 attack,” Lee said in a statement Thursday morning.