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(New York, NY) – For a short few minutes, the government was technically shut down as Senators worked past a midnight deadline. Luckily, a full-blown shutdown right before the holidays has been averted after the Senate passed the stop-gap funding bill to keep the government functioning through March. The 118-page bill passed in the House with a 366-34 vote and then cleared the Senate with a vote of 85-11. The bill includes $100 billion dollars for disaster relief funding, $30 billion for farmers and a year-long extension of the farm bill.
While Congressional leaders are touting the passage as a success, more locally politicians are now concerned about a group that did not make the cut. Fire union leaders and first responders are outraged that a program providing care for those with 9/11 related illnesses seems to be on the chopping block with the new deal to keep the government open. Negotiations meant cuts to the WTC Healthcare program that was thought to be permanently funded through the year 2090 under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act passed in 2010. Several New York lawmakers like Senator Chuck Schumer, have vowed to secure federal funding for the program.
