Legislation to help care for 9/11 victims has reportedly crossed a threshold of support crucial to moving ahead in the Senate.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., announced "we have the votes for this bill to pass as soon as it comes to the floor," Roll Call reported.
"I urge [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell [R-Ky.] to not stand in the way and commit to a standalone, up-or-down vote on this legislation as soon as it passes the House," she said in a statement, the news outlet reported.
According to Roll Call, a bipartisan group of 60 senators signed on to co-sponsor a reauthorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, which would make the fund permanent.
Sixty votes are needed in the Senate to invoke cloture, or end debate on a bill. Without that number, a bill cannot move forward to final passage.
"We owe this to our heroes, and we should not force them to wait until the last minute," her statement read, the New York Daily News reported.
Gillibrand's announcement came as McConnell met behind closed doors with John Feal, founder of the Fealgood Foundation, a 9/11 victim advocacy group that has been lobbying lawmakers for months about the renewal bill.
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