Congressman Dan Goldman Introduces Legislation to Support Families of 9/11 Terror Victims

 

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17), Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Congressman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in introducing the ‘American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act,’ which provides additional funding for the United States Victims of StateSponsoredTerrorism Fund (USVSST).  

 

“For far too long, the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and the survivors who still bear the scars of that horrific day have faced broken promises of relief and justice,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “While no amount of money can ever erase these families’ pain or fill the void left by their loss, our government has a solemn duty to uphold its promise to them. I am proud to join my colleagues across party lines to introduce legislation that will fund the U.S. Victims of StateSponsoredTerrorism Fund, and see to it that the families of 9/11 victims can finally receive the regular, dependable payments they were promised.” 

 

The American Victims of Terrorism Compensation Act would ensure that tens of thousands of American victims, including the families of more than 3,000 individuals lost on or after September 11th, receive the compensation they are owed. Specifically, it guarantees an annual payment to victims, increases Congressional oversight over the Fund’s operations, and expands USVSST Fund personnel to ensure that the program is adequately staffed. 

 

The USVSST fund was established in 2015 to help victims of terror attacks claim judgments delivered in U.S. courts against State Sponsors of Terror, including Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and Syria. The fund has faced ongoing challenges in securing adequate resources to compensate victims, and over the past few years it has only made one distribution—amounting to less than half a percent of the total court-awarded judgments.   

  

Congressman Goldman is committed to ensuring victims of terrorism receive the support they deserve. 

 

Earlier this month, the Congressman introduced the bipartisan ‘9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, which would provide permanent and mandatory funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) and updates an outdated funding formula to prevent a future funding shortfall and ensure that survivors and first responders don’t lose access to care. 

 

In December 2023, Goldman secured $676 million to address funding shortfalls in the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) budget. The ‘National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)’ for Fiscal Year 2024 included a bipartisan, bicameral amendment to provide an additional $444 million to the program over the coming years to address the impending budget shortfall and $232 million to ensure that all first responders to the Pentagon and Shanksville attacks are covered by the program as well.