Firefighters Slam Ted Cruz For Claiming To Be Their Champion While Opposing 9/11 Health Bill

The Huffington Post ^ | 2/3/16 | Amanda Terkel

[Gandalf the Mauve]

A powerful firefighters union went after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Wednesday for claiming to be their defender and champion in his Iowa caucuses victory speech.

"What Ted Cruz did the other night in his Iowa victory speech is disgusting," said Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. "He said he embraces fire fighters and the dangerous work they do, says he's our friend and calls himself a great patriot. But when it came time to actually have the backs of fire fighters across the U.S., he was AWOL. Cruz is the worst kind of politician who will say or do anything to get elected."

That anger stems from Cruz invoking the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the work of the first responders in his remarks Monday night, when he said he would be different from President Barack Obama....

But what irks Schaitberger is that Cruz opposed reauthorizing the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which provides health care for those same firefighters and first responders....

[Trumpinator]

I hope Cruz laughs when he says why he explains why he did not back the 9/11 first responders bill.

[Reaper19]

Sounds like how Social Security got started.

[Kartographer]

I hope answers with something like Congressman David Crockett did when faced with the same sort of decision:

One day in the House of Representatives, a bill was taken up appropriating money for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer. Several beautiful speeches had been made in its support. The Speaker was just about to put the question when Mr. Crockett arose:

"Mr. Speaker - I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased, and as much sympathy for the suffering of the living, if suffering there be, as any man in this house, but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living. I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money. Some eloquent appeals have been made to us upon the ground that it is a debt due the deceased. Mr. Speaker, the deceased lived long after the close of the war; he was in office to the day of his death, and I have never heard that the government was in arrears to him.

"Every man in this House knows it is not a debt. We cannot, without the grossest corruption, appropriate this money as the payment of a debt. We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as a charity. Mr. Speaker, I have said we have the right to give as much money of our own as we please. I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week’s pay to the object, and, if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks.

"He took his seat. Nobody replied. The bill was put upon its passage, and, instead of passing unanimously, as was generally supposed, and as, no doubt, it would, but for that speech, it received but few votes, and of course, was lost.

[Trumpinator]

Injuries taken in the line of service by first responders on 9/11 is not f*****g charity.......

[Kartographer]

Ping

[halo66]

Yeah sure...how much other liberal crap was attached to this bill. Don’t be so stupid!

[Kartographer]

No but this isn’t a Charity it is an abuse of the peoples money to line greedy Union pockets. Like most Government programs less than 1/10 of what was appropriated will go to help anyone who responded.

[Trumpinator]

First responders who get sick are not the union.

[Kartographer]

You keep believing that if you want, but these programs have been exposed to many times, what will make this one different?

And what happen do you think happened to the millions paid out already?

[MileHi]

Perfect.

Thanks Kart

[Trumpinator]

What law did Senator Cruz initiate to correct this so that the 9/11 first responders are helped with their medical treatments and bills?

[Kartographer]

He can’t because this stupid bill pass, because people like you think that the peoples money is unlimited.

Maybe you should start a charity of your own and get on the governments tit, I mean it would be for the ‘children’.

[Reaper19]

Are you saying that the ONLY way to support firefighters is to pass pork laiden federal bills that spend money we don’t have on programs that are local in nature?

If Cruz votea against a bill to give ten million dollars to Ferguson to train police officers (and spend 100k on renaming a post office in Des Moins after some liberal, and gives 10k to Ohio alfalfa growers, and 20k to research the favorite color of chimps, etc) will you then claim he doesn’t support cops?

[Trumpinator]

Cruz had plenty of time before this bill passed - what was he doing?

[Kartographer]

Fighting other pork bills just like this one. Clearly you no idea of Cruz’s record on spending none at all.

[Trumpinator]

So you don’t think 9/11 responders deserve special health care status?

[Kartographer]

They had it. They got pay outs. they have advance health insurance. They get better care than any vet at the VA.

[Truthsearcher]

It’s seems most of the attacks from the Trump side against Cruz are from the left.

[shotgun]

I’ve sat on the other side of the bargaining table with union fire fighters. Their all about their money, but in public their all about saving lives. They could care less that their pay raises have negative budget impacts on other city services. Same with the Police

[Souled_Out]

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" Are you saying that the ONLY way to support firefighters is to pass pork laiden federal bills that spend money we don't have on programs that are local in nature? "

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No. You need to reread my post.