Bloomberg Asks Feds to Re-Open 9/11 Compensation Fund
New York, NY —
Mayor Bloomberg asked Congress today to reopen the compensation fund for September 11th terrorism victims, saying the city could otherwise lose billions of dollars to lawsuits from sick Ground Zero workers.
BLOOMBERG: What's clear is that the process of determining compensation should be removed from courts, and the best way is to reopen victims' compensation fund.
REPORTER: The seven billion dollar compensation fund was created by Congress soon after the attacks, to help save the airline industry. The fund paid an average of a little more than two million dollars to victims' families, only if they agreed not to sue the airlines.
Mayor Bloomberg says the cost of treating those sickened by World Trade Center dust and debris is 393 million dollars a year
