U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray today to ensure that the FBI is fully and promptly cooperating with 9/11 victims and their families seeking justice through the courts. In 2016, Congress approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which allows victims of terrorism and their families to pursue civil lawsuits against foreign states that aid and abet terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.
Responders and survivors stricken with 9/11-related illnesses need our help. In the days and months following the attacks, over 90,000 responders who worked in the recovery effort and 400,000 survivors who lived, worked, or went to school in the area were exposed to toxins in Lower Manhattan. Today over 40,000 are in treatment for life-threatening illnesses, including over 100 cancers.
February 14 marks the first anniversary when we commemorate the precious lives that were taken at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. We remember: Alyssa Alhadeff, Martin Duque Anguiano, Scott Beigel, Nicholas Dworet, Aaron Feis, Jaime Guttenberg, Chris Hixon, Luke Hoyer, Cara Loughran, Gina Montalto, Joaquin Oliver, Alaina Petty, Meadow Pollack, Helena Ramsay, Alex Schachter, Carmen Schentrup, and Peter Wang. Following this tragedy, we were inspired by the response of the Parkland families and students who mobilized so quickly to demand change.
February 12 marks the tenth anniversary when we remember VOICES co-founder Beverly Eckert and the other 49 individuals who perished when Continental Flight 3407 crashed in Buffalo, New York. Beverly was traveling to Buffalo to attend a ceremony at Canisius High School where she was awarding a scholarship in memory of her husband Sean who died on 9/11. On this tenth anniversary, we remember Beverly and all those lost on Flight 3407 and we thank their family members for their tireless efforts in improving airline safety for us all.
February is National Cancer Prevention Month. Cancer is prevalent among responders and survivors who were exposed to toxins in Lower Manhattan on 9/11, and in the days and months following the attacks. Currently, the World Trade Center Health Program is providing medical and mental health treatment for over 41,000 individuals and over 100 cancers have been classified as certified conditions.