9/11 victims fund running out of money
It's been almost 18 years since the tragic events of September 11th, but thousands of New Yorkers are still living with effects from that day. There have been more than 9,000 cancer diagnoses due to exposure to toxins during the rescue and clean-up efforts at Ground Zero.
Since 2011, over $7 billion in federal funds have been set aside in the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund for people with illnesses potentially related to being at the World Trade Center site. Last week, officials announced the fund is running out of money and victims will start to see their payouts cut by as much as 70 percent.
Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York president Gerard Fitzgerald is heading to Washington, D.C. on Monday with 9/11 first responders and survivors to meet with members of Congress to announce a new bill to have the compensation fund refunded.
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“We’re going to ask for it to be funded forever. It’s an open check that we’re asking for,” Fitzgerald during an interview on FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria" Friday. "The first two times they did it, it was five years at a time. The last one in 2015, is scheduled to expire in 2020.”