Aug. 14, 2002—In an insult to the thousands of workers who helped in the recovery and clean-up after the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks, President George W. Bush said Aug. 13 he will not release the $5.1 billion Congress approved for supplemental homeland security programs, including $90 million to monitor the health of workers who cleaned up the rubble.
Saying, “actions speak louder than words,” Fire Fighters President Harold Schaitberger recalled Bush’s emotional speech about the heroes of Sept. 11. “Don’t lionize our fallen brothers in one breath and then stab us in the back by eliminating funding for our members to fight terrorism and stay safe,” Schaitberger said.
New York City union members and state AFL-CIO leaders sought the $90 million to establish a health screening program for the workers. The money would be used to establish a lifelong screening program to track the workers who loaded and hauled debris, restored utilities and performed other cleanup work that exposed them to several toxic substances.
“Many of these workers are sick and many more could become sick because of exposure to toxic substances,” said Peg Seminario, the AFL-CIO’s health and safety director. “Bush talks about how he cares about workers, but he fails to act to make sure they get necessary medical exams.”
Some medical experts have estimated at least half the workers cleaning up the Ground Zero site will require treatment for serious health problems after being exposed to asbestos, carcinogens and other health hazards.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had urged Bush to sign the legislation. “These heroes performed far beyond their responsibilities—we at the very least must meet ours,” she said. “Every one of these workers and volunteers is a hero. We have an obligation to provide these courageous men and women with the health screening tools that they require to protect them from serious disease and illness in the future.”
In addition to the health monitoring program, the AFL-CIO and affiliated unions support other appropriations Bush killed, including $400 million for election reform and $200 million for international HIV/AIDS prevention.
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