On the eve of the full House vote for the September 11th Victim’s Compensation Fund bill that has drawn considerable public attention in recent months, Cheddar was the first to exclusively report Thursday the expected price tag: $10,180,000,000 over the next decade.
The bill — appropriately titled H.R. 1327, Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act — has been subject to attention in the 116th Congress through the high-profile visits of former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, who has lent his celebrity to advocate for 9/11 first responders. The VCF is set to expire in 2020, with many of responders and advocates proclaiming that the urgency and the stakes have never been higher.
According to the 16-page report obtained by Cheddar, CBO Director Phillip Swagel sent his findings to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and Ranking Member Doug Collins Thursday, indicating that the $10.2 billion figure would “pay claims to eligible victims through fiscal year 2090,” and would require “the VCF to fully compensate claimants who have received reduced awards in the past because of declining balances in funds.”
A source familiar with the process tells Cheddar there is high confidence that the measure will be met with both enthusiastic passage in the House and approval through a Mitch McConnell-helmed high chamber.
At an emotional meeting on Capitol Hill just weeks ago, McConnell was presented with the badge belonging to former NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez, a first responder who died just days later. The gesture was made by John Feal and Kenny Specht, 9/11 first responders who left their sit-down with the Kentucky Republican optimistic about its progress.
Feal told reporters, "[McConnell]’d like to see this get done by August, which is way ahead of schedule. We look forward to working with Mitch McConnell to ensure that we have legislation through the House and the Senate by August.”
Cheddar’s examination of the CBO score highlights considerable risks as well in predicting the development of aggressive health conditions. As the report notes, “more than 410,000 people, including 90,000 first responders, were directly exposed to environmental contaminants in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.” The CBO highlights the stark realities of the tragedy amid areas of “considerable uncertainty”:
The VCF is part of the larger James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, and has required renewal of funding every five years. While it’s unlikely that Congressional pay-as-you-go considerations may be up for negotiation in the House, it may be in order to attract the support of some Republican Senators.
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
