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 Pentagon is pulling back about 1,100 active military troops from the U.S.-Mexico border.
Vice President Kamala Harris rejected an invitation from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to debate new standards in Black history education in that state.
Clinics in Indiana have stopped abortion services ahead of the state's enactment of a total ban.
Vice President Kamala Harris has publicly declined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' invitation to debate new standards in Black history education in Florida.
New Jersey is mourning the loss of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who passed away at the age of 71.
Trump is facing a new set of felony charges after a federal grand jury indicted him on crimes related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
The Justice Department's four-count indictment Tuesday accuses the former president of assaulting the underpinnings of democracy in a frantic but ultimately failed effort to cling to power.
Thousands of Marines backed by advanced U.S. fighter jets and warships are slowly building up a presence in the Persian Gulf. It’s a sign that while America’s wars in the region may be finished, its conflict with Iran over its advancing nuclear program continues to worsen, with no solutions in sight.
President Joe Biden has decided to keep U.S. Space Command headquarters in Colorado, overturning a last-ditch decision by the Trump administration to move it to Alabama. The choice ended months of thorny deliberations, but an Alabama lawmaker vowed to fight on.
Parents and faith leaders have sued to stop Oklahoma from creating what would be the first religious public charter school in the nation.
