Senate approves bill to extend 9/11 victims fund

The 97-2 vote sends the bill to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it

By Matthew Daly
Associated Press

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Senate has given final legislative approval to a bill ensuring that a victims' compensation fund related to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks never runs out of money.

The 97-2 vote sends the bill to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

The vote came after Democratic senators agreed to allow votes on amendments sponsored by two Republican senators who had been blocking the widely popular bill. The Senate easily defeated the amendments proposed by GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said 9/11 first responders and their families have had "enough of political games."

The bill would extend through 2092 a fund created after the 2001 terrorist attacks, essentially making it permanent.

"We can never repay all that the 9/11 community has done for our country, but we can stop penalizing them. Today is that day..."

Jon Stewart speaks after Congress authorizes 9/11 victim compensation fund through 2092. https://t.co/D4bFVaEO41 pic.twitter.com/C8uu9kOVwY
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 23, 2019

Awesome moment: Jon Stewart embraces a crying John Feal, the 9/11 first responder who led the organization pushing for the full extension of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, just after the bill passed in the Senate 97-2: pic.twitter.com/ombosZSxr0
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 23, 2019