Son of Sick 9/11 Cop Seeks Health Care

Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to members of the media during a news conference in front of ground zero Monday, Jan. 22, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer - AP)

WASHINGTON -- The son of a sick former New York City police officer came to Congress Tuesday hoping to convince the government to do more for his father and thousands of other ground zero workers battling health problems.

Ceasar Borja, Jr., the 21-year-old son of Cesar Borja, came to Washington as the guest of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to attend Tuesday evening's State of the Union address.

Clinton, D-N.Y., and other New York lawmakers have been urging the government for years to pay for treating 9/11-related illnesses.

The elder Borja is in an intensive care unit at Mount Sinai Medical Center, needing a lung transplant after having worked on the toxic pile of World Trade Center debris more than five years ago.

"My father is a symbol of those in need, in desperation," said the son, a student at Hunter College.

"9/11 is not over. It didn't end in 2001. It is still affecting my father and numerous other first responders," he said. "My father is an extreme example of what can happen and what may and will happen in the future."

Borja spoke flanked by New York lawmakers and sick ground zero workers, who argued that both the federal and New York City government had fallen short of responsibilities to provide health care and workers compensation to those suffering aftereffects from the World Trade Center dust.

While Democrats now control both chambers of Congress and have the power to pass and amend budget bills, the New York Democrats, which included both Clinton and Sen. Charles Schumer, said the responsibility lay principally with the Republican White House.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, whose district includes the site of the 2001 terror attacks, had the strongest language for Bush and the New York City mayor.

"The villains are no longer the terrorists. The villains live in the White House and in Gracie Mansion," said Nadler, referring to the official home of the mayor of New York.

Bloomberg, who was in the city for a mayor's gathering on illegal guns, dismissed Nadler's attack.

"He'll have to speak for his own actions," said Bloomberg.

Rep. Peter King, a Long Island Republican who has signed onto the mayor's gun effort, said Nadler's comments crossed the line.

"That's the kind of rhetoric that doesn't help anybody. I agree that more should be done for 9/11 victims, but to be using language like that serves no purpose," said King.

Even as several of the city's Democrats bashed Republicans, they said they could not guarantee that, now that their party is in power, the Congress would pass legislation paying for 9/11 health treatment.

"We certainly can't promise it," said Nadler, adding the issue would be decided by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "If I were the speaker, yeah, it would be in the budget."

Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-Manhattan, was more optimistic, but still could not guarantee the Democratic congress would pass such a bill this year.

"I believe we will be successful," said Maloney. "We will fight 'til the last dog dies."