By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A bipartisan group of New York House lawmakers introduced H.R. 10361 on Monday, seeking federal reimbursement for state and city pension payments made to 9/11 first responders and their families.
- The bill, led by Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino along with two additional Republicans and six Democrats, was referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Lawmakers estimate total 9/11-related pension costs at about $3.4 billion; after subtracting $290 million FEMA reimbursed in 2002, the bill seeks approximately $3.1 billion in additional federal funds.
- The measure would cover pension payments the city and state made to first responders who died or became disabled as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks or related illnesses.
- The effort follows a similar 2024 bill from Garbarino that was never called to committee or subcommittee.
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of New York lawmakers introduced legislation Monday seeking approximately $3.1 billion in federal reimbursement for New York state and city pension systems that covered payments to first responders disabled or killed as a result of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The bill, U.S. House Bill 10361, is led by Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino and backed by two additional Republicans and six Democrats. It was introduced Monday and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Because the Sept. 11 attacks were declared a national disaster, lawmakers argue the federal government bears responsibility for related costs, including pension payments New York City and state agencies made to first responders who died or became disabled, as well as death benefits paid to families of those killed. The bill seeks that reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
FEMA reimbursed the pension system $290 million in 2002 for what a 2023 congressional memorandum described as “unanticipated costs of the payment of death and disability claims that resulted [from] the 9/11 attacks.” Lawmakers say total 9/11-related pension costs have since grown to an estimated $3.4 billion, leaving a $3.1 billion gap after the earlier reimbursement.
“We lost nearly 3,000 Americans that day, but no one knew that we’d lose thousands more in the aftermath to 9/11-related illnesses,” Garbarino said in a 2024 statement introducing similar legislation, which failed to advance to committee. Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, a co-sponsor of the new bill, said the FDNY and NYPD pension systems face shortfalls tied to those unanticipated costs. “We must ensure that the families of these heroes continue to receive the benefits that they deserve,” Nadler said.