On November 18th I left for a rally in Washington, D.C. with the FealGood Foundation, The New York City Firefighter Brotherhood Foundation and a coalition of hundreds September 11th Rescue and Recovery workers.  John Feal, founder of the FealGood Foundation, who I have discussed in previous blogs, kindly offered to save me a seat on one of the organized buses that left from New York City for Washington, D.C. at 3:30 in the morning and returned later that evening.  The premise of the trip to Washington D.C. with the FealGood Foundation was to rally for H.R. 847 “The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act” and to urge Congressional leaders to bring the act to the attention of the floors of the house and Senate so that it might be voted upon this year.  The bill intends to provide comprehensive health care and compensation for thousands of ailing 9/11 heroes.  

Brief Note: I discussed this bill at a length in a previous blog from about two weeks ago.  Either before or after delving into my D.C. excursion I suggest that readers consult the previous blog or simply visit Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney’s site for information. 

The rally was held from about 11 to 2 P.M. on the West lawn of the United States Capitol.  The rally was largely comprised of a number of speeches from the founders of the respective foundations, 9/11 rescue and recovery workers and survivors, recent widows and also from a number of elected officials, which included Senator Chuck Schumer and Congresswoman Maloney, among many others.  After the rally on the lawn of the Capitol, all of the attendees broke off into groups in order to visit specific congressman and speak with them about H.R. 847 and their respective positions on the bill.

I visited a number of congressional offices alongside a warden and a corrections officer/guard from Rikers Island and John Graham, all of who are surviving but ailing 9/11 rescue and recovery workers. John Graham, an EMT I met on the bus ride down, took great interest with my ELEA project and thus was kind enough to take me under his wing for the day.  Visiting congressional offices with John and the others in my group was a truly unique and eye-opening experience.  For several hours we walked the hallways of the Longworth House Office building and the Cannon House Office Building knocked on well over twenty congressional office doors. In the case of the several congressmen we visited who had previously been in support of the bill, we left behind letters of appreciation and asked for their continued support.  On the other hand, in the case of those who were in opposition of the bill or had not yet acquainted themselves with it we asked for a moment of their time in which we discussed the bill in brevity and asked for their thoughts.  A majority of these discussions were held with their respective aides and on a unique occasion with the congressman themselves.

It was truly an honor to be included by the FealGood Foundation on the rally trip to D.C. and participate alongside a group of such incredibly inspiring men and women. 

Readers, I welcome any and all questions or comments regarding my trip to D.C. as well as any inquiries regarding further specifications.   

Below I have provided links to a list of the Members of the U.S. House Representatives 111th Congress and a list of the representatives who already sponsor H.R. 847. 

111th Congress:

http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/HR847List1.html

Representatives in Support of H.R. 847:

http://www.fealgoodfoundation.com/HR847List2.html