House Republicans this month blocked a Democratic plan to provide billions of dollars for medical treatment to rescue workers and residents of New York City who suffered illnesses from the toxic dust and debris at ground zero.

Emergency workers inhaled all sorts of toxins, notably asbestos. Asbestos exposure has been linked to rare but deadly cancers like mesothelioma. Many of the workers at Ground Zero have been diagnosed with these kinds of cancers.

A majority of the lawmakers in the chamber supported the bill, but the 255-to-159 vote fell short of the two-thirds margin needed under special rules that were used to bring the measure to the floor. In the end, 243 Democrats and 12 Republicans supported the measure; 155 Republicans and 4 Democrats opposed it.

Democrats used rules requiring a wider majority for approval to prevent Republicans from offering amendments on the floor that would embarrass Democrats in an election year.

Republican opponents of the legislation expressed concern over the $7.4 billion cost of the program and called the funding mechanism a tax increase on businesses. The bill was to be funded by closing a loophole  that allows American companies chartered off shore to operate in the U.S. without paying taxes on income earned in this country.

Democrats accused Republicans of being callous and vowed to bring the bill back for another vote in the fall.

Source: The New York Times