Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Signs Bill To Guarantee Funding For 9/11 Victims: 'Today We Strive To Fulfill Our Sacred Duty To You'
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Signs Bill Shoring Up 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund
President Trump signed legislation on Monday that funds medical claims from victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for the rest of their lives. The legislation, signed during a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden, appropriates funds for all current and future approved claims made through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund until 2090, at an estimated cost of $10.2 billion over the next 10 years. (Restuccia, 7/29)
Politico: Trump Signs 9/11 Compensation Bill, Prompting Fund To Reverse Cuts
Thousands of people have been diagnosed with cancers linked to the toxins in the air near the World Trade Center site, and thousands more have respiratory and other related illnesses. A fund set up to aid sick survivors and the families of those who have died had started to run dry and began cutting payments earlier this year. But shortly after the bill was signed into law Monday, the fund reversed the decision and announced that it now has "sufficient to pay all pending and projected claims without the need for any continued reductions in awards." (Durkin, 7/29)
Los Angeles Times: Trump Signs 9/11 Victims Bill
The $7.4-billion September 11 Victim Compensation Fund was severely depleted, and administrators had recently cut benefit payments by up to 70%. The new legislation authorizes funding through the year 2092, effectively making it permanent. “Today we come together as one nation to support our Sept. 11 heroes and to care for their families … and to renew our eternal vow, never ever forget,” Trump said before signing the bill. (Stokols, 7/29)
CNN: 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Extension Signed By Trump
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has served as Trump's personal attorney, was among the lawmakers in the audience. The family of the late Luis Alvarez, a retired NYPD bomb squad detective who testified before Congress to advocate for the extension of the fund, was also in attendance. The President thanked Alvarez's family for his hard work. Trump told the crowd of 9/11 first responders and their families that he was also at Ground Zero in the wake of the terror attacks, though he said he doesn't consider himself a first responder. "I was down there also, but I'm not considering myself a first responder," Trump said. "But I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you." (Vazquez, 7/29)
The New York Times: Fact-Checking Trump’s Claim He ‘Spent A Lot Of Time’ With 9/11 Responders
President Trump walked into the Rose Garden on Monday and signed into law a bill that would permanently fund the care of emergency workers who became ill after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He also revived an old claim that he spent time at ground zero alongside firefighters and police officers. Mr. Trump has a long history of making questionable and provocative statements about what he saw on the day of the attacks and how he reacted, some critical of Muslims. On Monday, surrounded by emergency medical workers who had lost colleagues and friends in the attacks, Mr. Trump sought again to place himself near the center of the recovery effort. (Rogers, 7/29)
