With a vote of 97-2, the Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will fund the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund through 2090.
The fund was originally established in the months following the September 11 terrorist attacks to support the families of the victims killed, as well as survivors living with injuries.
The law, which required reauthorization, was expected to expire next year.
The fund has received more requests in recent years for serious illnesses related to the attacks and cleanup, according to CNN reporting.
The House approved the new legislation earlier in July, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill.
Comedian and former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, an ardent supporter of the first responders to the September 11 attacks, had heavily lobbied for the legislation, and testified on Capitol Hill alongside some of the first responders.
Sen. Rand Paul objected to the bill on the grounds that passing the legislation would require other expenditures to be cut, which delayed its passage in the Senate.
The fund is expected to cost $10.2 billion over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
The bill’s full title is “Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act,” named after three first responders who died from 9/11-related illnesses.
The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved the system that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children, rejecting a broad attack from some Republican-led states and white families who argued it is based on race.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it hopes to weed out false or misleading animal-welfare claims on meat and poultry packaging with new guidance and testing.
New York City is paying to house newly-arrived migrants in hotel rooms. Cheddar News takes a closer look at one of the hotels, the Holiday Inn, which is housing about 15,000 migrants over the next 15 months.
We've been closely following the migrants that were sent to various cities across the United States. Now New York City is paying for hotel rooms for migrants who were sent there. Cheddar's own Ashley Mastronardi has a closer look at one of the hotels.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that stops public schools and libraries from banning books.
The Biden administration reached a deal to preserve a federal mandate requiring health insurers to cover preventive care at no extra cost for patients.
Former President Donald Trump arrives for his arraignment in Miami.
The government can keep enforcing “Obamacare” requirements that health insurance plans cover preventative care — such as HIV prevention, some types of cancer screenings and other illnesses — while a legal battle over the mandates plays out, under a court agreement approved Tuesday.
Two men who were active-duty members of the Marines Corps when they stormed the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty on Monday to riot-related criminal charges.
The Human Rights Campaign, for the first time in its 40-year history, declared a state of emergency for the LGBTQ+ community as anti-LTBTQ+ sentiment is on the rise. Cheddar News explains.
