Blog

This legislation was the wrong way to do the right thing. I’m talking about H.R. 1327, which reauthorized an honorable program called the Sept. 11th Victims’ Survivor Fund (VCF).

I had a lot of calls and comments about my “no” vote on this bill last week. A few were obtuse remarks from individuals whose default position was to assume evil intent. But most were from folks who knew better, and genuinely wanted to know what was in this bill that prompted my vote. If you’re in that second category, this post is for you.

To begin, I strongly believe in the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). The heinous and cowardly attacks committed on 9/11 is one of our nation’s greatest tragedies. Although nothing will restore that loss, it is our collective responsibility to care for the victims and families affected. This fund is how our nation supports those who suffered so much at the hands of our enemies.

It’s vital that we ensure the VCF is set up for success. And it was, when the program was first established back in 2001. This was also the case when Congress reauthorized the program in 2011 and again in 2016.

So what’s the problem now?

Well, there are two major problems with this year’s reauthorization of the VCF, which made it impossible for me to support. First, it authorizes ANY amount of money for the next 70 years, with virtually no oversight to ensure the 9/11 victims are properly cared for. And second, it pushes back the review of the program’s policies and procedures from annually to every five years.

In other words, this bill couples fiscal insanity with very little accountability, and all but removes any real incentive for the VCF to keep pace with those it’s designed to serve. Just think about that for a minute. Is there any charity or organization that can operate effectively under those conditions? Of course not.

MARK MY WORDS: it’ll take a little time, but at some point, we’re almost certainly going to see problems with the VCF that are DIRECTLY attributable to the unintended consequences of this otherwise noble legislation. It may be corruption, or financial mismanagement, or program inefficiencies, etc. Whatever it ends up being, the 9/11 victims who desperately need this program are likely to endure further suffering as a result.

Because that is what ALWAYS happens when government – on any level – writes a blank check, with no expiration date, and washes its hands of its oversight responsibility. And make no mistake: this “washing of the hands” is exactly what happened here.

*** If this bill was truly in the best interest of 9/11 survivors, then Congress would have made sure that VCF policies and procedures continued to be reviewed annually. But it didn’t. Instead, this bill pushed that review out to every five years, which all but guarantees that going forward, the VCF will be slow to adapt to the evolving needs of 9/11 victims.

*** Furthermore, if this bill were truly in the best interest of 9/11 survivors, then Congress would have only reauthorized its funding for a limited time, to serve as a constant reminder to VCF administrators that we’re keeping a close eye on their work and will not tolerate mismanagement or incompetence. But it didn’t. Instead, this bill authorized a 70-year renewal, which all but guarantees VCF administrators will feel no accountability, either to Congress, the taxpayers, or (most importantly) the victims.

As I said above, this bill was the wrong way to do the right thing. It’s precisely because we have a moral obligation to care of our 9/11 survivors that there needs to be:

1⃣ effective congressional oversight to keep the VCF running smoothly

2⃣ shorter authorization periods to keep its administration in-check and to prevent fraud and abuse, and

3⃣ annual reviews to ensure the victims are receiving the proper help the deserve.

Yet ALL of these critical elements have been stripped away with this bill. Every one of them.

At some point, Congress will likely need to step in and fix what I fear may soon go wrong with the VCF as a result of this bill. My vote was an effort to prevent these problems from happening in the first place.

Additional information can be found here: http://bit.ly/2JPdbRi