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Eighteen years after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, congressional officials have just rescued the victims' compensation fund.
A fund originally created for the benefit of those who died or were injured during the attacks, but who in 2010 was extended to those who became ill after intervening on the spot.
The reserves of this fund were drying up while 19,000 claims had still not been processed. With this Senate vote, the program is sustainable until 2090 and more than ten billion dollars will be injected in the next decade. It is the insurance for the sick to be compensated until the end of their life.
The memory of heroes
"Never forget the heroes": this is the name of this bill carried by the Democrats and Republicans in New York and defended by the former host of the Daily Show , Jon Stewart .
The latter made the trip to Washington and made a staunch plea for all the collateral victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001 .
Firefighters, police exposed to smoke and toxic dust during search and clearing operations, but also residents of southern Manhattan, became ill after the attacks . Medical consequences that took almost 10 years to be recognized.
► See also - United States: World Trade Center bombings continue to kill massively
Many collateral patients
More than 2,300 have already died according to the World Trade Center Health Program, and nearly 12,000 are suffering from cancer. The authorities estimate that the number of deaths due to 9/11-related illnesses will soon exceed the human toll of the attacks themselves, which had killed nearly 3,000 people.
The assumption of medical expenses had already been perpetuated until 2090 but not the compensation of patients and their families.
It is now done, thanks to this vote of the American Senate, preceded by that of the House of Representatives.
Remains the signature of President Donald Trump, which according to US media is only a formality.