THE CITY OF NEW YORK

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

N E W Y O R K , N Y 10 00 7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 23, 2010
No. 525
www.nyc.gov

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, SENATORS SCHUMER AND GILLIBRAND,

REPRESENTATIVES MALONEY, KING AND NADLER AND FIRST RESPONDERS
CELEBRATE PASSAGE OF THE JAMES ZADROGA 9/11 HEALTH AND
COMPENSATION ACT

Mayor Bloomberg’s Remarks as Delivered Outside of 7 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan:

“Senator, thank you. And good afternoon everyone. I think it goes without saying that we
owe a great debt of gratitude, Kirsten, to you and to Jerry and to Pete and Carolyn. Chuck had a
little bit to do with it as well.

“We’ve come back to this spot – where so many showed such inspiration and valor and
dedication – to say that our nation has at long last done its duty. And I think it’s fitting that
yesterday’s action in Congress came at the same time that we celebrated another milestone here at
the World Trade Center site: yesterday we replanted what has come to be known as the ‘Survivor
Tree’ – one that was found charred and twisted under the rubble after 9/11, and then was nursed
back to health over the last nine years. And that tree, I think, now stands as a living symbol of our
resilience and our endurance in the face of tragedy.

“Yesterday’s actions on Capitol Hill were a testament to that spirit, too. And only days ago,
it looked like this bill was dead in the water, as Chuck said. But the people standing here – and
countless others – worked tirelessly to negotiate changes and build the necessary support to revive
and pass that bill.

“And in particular, I just wanted to thank some of the members of my team at City Hall for
their great work – including Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, former Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler, Andrea
Cohen, Rima Cohen, Commissioner Cas Holloway, Michelle Goldstein, Brian Geller, and Tamiru
Mammo.

“We all remember the strong sense of shared purpose we felt in the wake of 9/11. We all
recall the powerful pride that we felt in being Americans. Not Democrats or Republicans, urban or
rural, from a big state or a small state – but Americans. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that the
people I’m standing with today have been able to recapture that sense of patriotic unity for the sake
of those who sacrificed so much.”

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Contact: Stu Loeser / Jason Post (212) 788-2958