Bush blocks funds for WTC rescue workers

by Judith Le Blanc

At his Waco, Texas pep rally on the economy, President Bush announced that 
he intended to enforce "spending restraint" by blocking a US$5.1 billion 
emergency spending Bill passed by Congress. The Bill included US$90 million 
for long-term health monitoring of World Trade Centre (WTC) rescue workers 
and volunteers who were exposed to a catastrophe with potential long-term 
health and environmental consequences.

The Bush administration also slapped down firefighters and veterans, 
rejecting US$250 million for fire-fighting equipment and training and 
US$275 million to reduce the backlog of patients at veterans' medical 
centres.

Reaction was swift and strong. Congressman Jerrold Nadler (Democrat-NY) 
said, "Now the President is backtracking on the commitment to America's 
heroes and he ought to be ashamed."

International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold 
Schaitberger wrote to Bush after the announcement, "Quite frankly, I would 
be dishonest if I did not convey our anger, concern and growing doubt about 
your commitment to us. I will not, in good conscience, allow our membership 
to be used as foils. No-one, not even the President, has the right to 
pontificate about his or her commitment and respect for firefighters while 
ignoring our legitimate needs."

Richard Santos, national commander of the American Legion, said, "More than 
300,000 veterans new to the VA system are on waiting lists, some more than 
one year long, for the initial medical exams they need in order to qualify 
for prescription drug benefits."

Bush pledged his support to the Legion's national convention as a candidate 
in 2000. "Now, we feel we've been let down", said Santos. "A verbal promise 
in front of 6,000 people is something you have to keep."

Don Carson, director of Hazmat Program of the International Union of 
Operating Engineers, who worked at Ground Zero from September 15 until it 
was cleared, told the People's Weekly World, "The union handed out over 
12,000 respirators. We did independent air testing which was shared with 
the EPA. You may not know for years the effects of working on the pile.

"It was a horrific job", he said. "Every day that goes by people begin to 
forget what happened. We're tired of being called heroes. We want respect 
for the job that we do. If they are serious about homeland security then 
they have to do the training and the health monitoring."

Many health and environmental protection specialists have characterised 
Ground Zero as a catastrophe without precedent. The WTC structure, 
furnishings, office equipment and supplies were reduced to a burning 16-
acre heap that smouldered for weeks at very high temperatures.

Pulverised concrete, glass, steel, zinc and asbestos were hurled into the 
air not only in the immediate area but also into Brooklyn. Hazardous 
materials from the wreckage were transported through New York Harbour to 
the Staten Island landfill, exposing untold numbers of people to asbestos 
and other toxins.

Pawel Kedzior of Local 78 Asbestos, Lead and Hazardous Waste Laborers, 
whose members worked day and night at Ground Zero, commented, "It's 
disgusting that the President of this country wants to cut off money for 
health checkups."

Kedzior continued, "We got independent results at Ground Zero from tests 
run to monitor the air quality. For obvious reasons businesses in NY were 
scared to do the test because they were worried about jobs in the future so 
we had to get testing done from outside." He said, "The pile was one huge 
pile of toxins."

With the emergency funding, an initial screening program of 8500 WTC rescue 
workers would have been expanded to include all 18,000 who worked or 
volunteered at Ground Zero.

Jonathan Bennett, NY Committee for Occupational Safety and Heath public 
affairs director, said if the funds are not restored then tens of thousands 
who need to be monitored will not be eligible for treatment programs.

"If they come down with illnesses 20 years from now ... and are not watched 
as a statistical group, their medical treatment will be affected ... 
Workers simply won't get medical care they need if they come down with 
diseases years later."

Mario Cilento, New York State AFL-CIO [peak union body] communications 
director, told the World the labour federation would be meeting with 
members of Congress after Labour Day to demand action. The WTC rescue 
workers are owed peace of mind by the government, he said.

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People's Weekly World, paper of Communist Party USA