We didn’t keep track of every member of the U.S. House and Senate who honored the memory of 9/11 last week, but the Congress does keep track of who is sponsoring bills and there is a shameful absence of far too many federal legislators who should be supporting full funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical care for 9/11 responders and survivors sickened by exposure to toxins emanating from Ground Zero. So much for honoring the victims and heroes. The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2024 will put a needed $2.9 billion into the WTC Health Program. Without the extra money, care will have to be rationed for the firefighters and others suffering WTC-related ailments such as cancers. The measure was introduced in July with all but two House members from New York as sponsors (we had to remind Hakeem Jeffries and Adriano Espaillat). However, with the exception of Rep. Tom Kean, the rest of the New Jersey delegation is missing. Donald Norcross, Jeff Van Drew, Andy Kim (who is running for Senate), Chris Smith, Josh Gottheimer, Frank Pallone, Rob Menendez, Mikie Sherrill and Bonnie Watson Coleman need to sign on immediately. The same goes for Democrat LaMonica McIver, who will win the special election being held on Wednesday in Newark. Her first action should be sponsoring the bill. This should be easy for Gottheimer. In 2015, we slammed his predecessor, Scott Garrett, for being the only member of the New Jersey delegation without his name on an earlier WTC measure. Gottheimer beat Garrett at the next election. Gottheimer is also the vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and the other vice chair is Pennsylvanian Brian Fitzpatrick, who is a bill sponsor. They should get the whole Caucus to become sponsors. In Connecticut, not one of the five House members is a sponsor: John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and Jahana Hayes. Over in the Senate, missing are Chris Murphy from Connecticut and Jersey’s temporary senator, George Helmy, sworn in last week. Helmy has put his name on four bills. This must be his fifth. The other two sites of the 9/11 attacks are in Virginia (the Pentagon) and Pennsylvania (Flight 93). Three of four senators are sponsors; missing is Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman. Congress is back in session tomorrow, members should add their names to the bill.