Today, Mathew Silverman, National President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) – the nation’s largest non-partisan, non-for-profit professional association representing more than 32,000 federal law enforcement officers and agents across 65 federal agencies– issued the following statement regarding the inclusion of World Trade Center Health Program in the National Defense Authorization Act:
“FLEOA is extremely pleased that Congress responded to the calls from FLEOA and other law enforcement groups to approve $676 million in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The language in the final bill reflects the bipartisan amendment offered by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mike Braun (R-IN) to the Senate version of NDAA that we have been advocating for since July. We are grateful for the leadership of Sens. Gillibrand and Braun and Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) to ensure that the Program remains available and funded to meet the needs of both civilian and armed services personnel who have fallen due to 9/11-related health conditions,” FLEOA President Silverman said.
“Unfortunately, the tragic consequences of the September 11th terror attacks live on in our nation. First responders, civilian personnel, and military personnel who courageously and immediately responded to the attacks are still falling ill from diseases like sarcoidosis, a lung condition impacting many responders who breathed toxic smoke and dust during the response. The World Trade Center Health Program ensures those who heroically responded to these attacks have the resources necessary to receive top-tier medical assistance,” Silverman continued.
“FLEOA has long advocated for dedicated, long term funding for the program, and is a proud supporter of the bipartisan ‘9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act’ sponsored by Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Garbarino. Each year we learn more about the impact of those tragic terror attacks on first responders. As these issues come to light, we applaud Congress for taking swift action to ensure the Program is funded and functioning effectively for the American people,” Silverman concluded.
Read FLEOA’s letter alongside other law enforcement groups here.
