Workers Compensation Injury Report 2002-2021: Fill & Download for Free

The American Rescue Plan Act is hurtling toward final passage, but only a few percentage points of its massive $1.9 trillion price tag is specifically geared toward, you know, addressing the pandemic. How little? House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R–Calif.) says just 9 percent of it goes "directly to toward Covid-19 relief." The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Budget puts the number even lower, declaring, "Only about 1 percent of the entire package goes toward COVID-19 vaccines, and 5 percent is truly focused on public health needs surrounding the pandemic."Most of it is instead a pre-existing Democratic Party wishlist of increased spending on virtually every aspect of government, including bigger unemployment benefits, even more money for schools, a gigantic child tax credit, and subsidies for Obamacare insurance policies that would phase out only at a household income of more than $580,000. This legislation comes on the heels of the $4 trillion in coronavirus-related spending passed last year.there is appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $4,000,000,000, to remain available until expended, to carry out this section. The Secretary of Agriculture shall use the amounts made available pursuant to subsection (a)—to purchase food and agricultural commodities;to purchase and distribute agricultural commodities (including fresh produce, dairy, seafood, eggs, and meat) to individuals in need, including through delivery to nonprofit organizations and through restaurants and other food related entities, as determined by the Secretary, that may receive, store, process, and distribute food items;to make grants and loans for small or midsized food processors or distributors, seafood processing facilities and processing vessels, farmers markets, producers, or other organizations to respond to COVID–19, including for measures to protect workers against COVID–19; andto make loans and grants and provide other assistance to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency.Animal Health.—COVID–19 ANIMAL SURVEILLANCE.—The Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct monitoring and surveillance of susceptible animals for incidence of SARS–CoV–2.FUNDING.—Out of the amounts made available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall use $300,000,000 to carry out this subsection.(d) Overtime Fees.—SMALL ESTABLISHMENT; VERY SMALL ESTABLISHMENT DEFINITIONS.—The terms “small establishment” and “very small establishment” have the meaning given those terms in the final rule entitled “Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems” published in the Federal Register on July 25, 1996 (61 Fed. Reg. 38806).OVERTIME INSPECTION COST REDUCTION.—Notwithstanding section 10703 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 2219a), the Act of June 5, 1948 (21 U.S.C. 695), section 25 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 468), and section 24 of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1053), and any regulations promulgated by the Department of Agriculture implementing such provisions of law and subject to the availability of funds under paragraph (3), the Secretary of Agriculture shall reduce the amount of overtime inspection costs borne by federally-inspected small establishments and very small establishments engaged in meat, poultry, or egg products processing and subject to the requirements of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.), or the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.), for inspection activities carried out during the period of fiscal years 2021 through 2030.FUNDING.—Out of the amounts made available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall use $100,000,000 to carry out this subsection.SEC. 1003. PANDEMIC PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION FUNDS.In addition to amounts otherwise available, there are appropriated for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $47,500,000, to remain available until expended, for necessary administrative expenses associated with carrying out this subtitle. ($47 MILLION to paid in order to spend tax dollars!)There are 438 different dollar amounts in this act! Including:An unknown sum for - SEC. 1005. FARM LOAN ASSISTANCE FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS.(a) Payments.—(1) APPROPRIATION.—In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal year 2021, out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary, to remain available until expended, for the cost of loan modifications and payments under this section.SEC. 1006. USDA ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT FOR SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS, RANCHERS, FOREST LAND OWNERS AND OPERATORS, AND GROUPS.(a) Appropriation.—In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $1,010,000,000, to remain available until expended, to carry out this section.SEC. 1007. USE OF THE COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION FOR COMMODITIES AND ASSOCIATED EXPENSES.In addition to amounts otherwise made available, there are appropriated for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $800,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022, to use the Commodity Credit Corporation to acquire and make available commodities under section 406(b) of the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1736(b)) and for expenses under such section.SEC. 1101. SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.(a) Value Of Benefits.—Section 702(a) of division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260) is amended by striking “June 30, 2021” and inserting “September 30, 2021”.(b) SNAP Administrative Expenses.—In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is hereby appropriated for fiscal year 2021, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $1,150,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2023, with amounts to be obligated for each of fiscal years 2021, 2022, and 2023, for the costs of State administrative expenses associated with carrying out this section and administering the supplemental nutrition assistance program established under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.), of which—(1) $15,000,000 shall be for necessary expenses of the Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) for management and oversight of the program; and(2) $1,135,000,000 shall be for the Secretary to make grants to each State agency for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2023 as follows: (This is all spending to fund government)SEC. 1106. WIC PROGRAM MODERNIZATION.In addition to amounts otherwise available, there are appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture, out of amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $390,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, to remain available until September 30, 2024, to carry out outreach, innovation, and program modernization efforts, including appropriate waivers and flexibility, to increase participation in and redemption of benefits (Increased dependency)SEC. 2001. ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND.(a) In General.—In addition to amounts otherwise available through the Education Stabilization Fund, there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $122,774,800,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, to carry out this section.SEC. 2002. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE TO NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS.(a) In General.—In addition to amounts otherwise available through the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Program, there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,750,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for making allocations to Governors under the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools Program to provide services or assistance to non-public schools that enroll a significant percentage of low-income students and are most impacted by the qualifying emergency. (Any emergency)SEC. 2006. GALLAUDET UNIVERSITY. appropriated, $19,250,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for the Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, and Gallaudet Universitywhich may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance.SEC. 2007. STUDENT AID ADMINISTRATION. there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021, $91,130,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for Student Aid Administration within the Department of Education including direct outreach to students and borrowers about financial aid, economic impact payments, means-tested benefits, unemployment assistance, and tax benefits, for which the students and borrowers may be eligible.SEC. 2008. HOWARD UNIVERSITY. there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021,$35,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for Howard University to provide financial aid grants to students, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance.SEC. 2009. NATIONAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE FOR THE DEAF, there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for the National Technical Institute for the Deaf to provide financial aid grants to students, which may be used for any component of the student’s cost of attendance.SEC. 2010. INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES, there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021, $100,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2023, for the Institute of Education Sciences to carry out research among the student subgroups described in section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)) and students experiencing homelessness and children and youth in foster care, and to disseminate such findings to State educational agencies and local educational agencies and other appropriate entities.SEC. 2011. PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION, there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021,$15,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2024, for Program Administration within the Department of Education for salaries and expenses necessary to implement this part.SEC. 2012. OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL, there is appropriated to the Department of Education for fiscal year 2021, $5,000,000, to remain available until expended, for the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education, for salaries and expenses necessary for oversight, investigations, and audits of programs, grants, and projects funded under this part carried out by the Office of Inspector General.SEC. 2014(a) Amounts For IDEA.—There is appropriated to the Secretary of Education for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated—$2,580,000,000 for grants to States under part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;$200,000,000 for preschool grants under section 619 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; and$250,000,000 for programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities under part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.SEC. 2021. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, there is appropriated for fiscal year 2021, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $135,000,000, to remain available until expendedSEC. 2022. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES, there is appropriated for fiscal year 2021,$135,000,000, to remain available until expendedSEC. 2023. INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES, there is appropriated to the Institute of Museum and Library Services for fiscal year 2021, $200,000,000Extending expanded unemployment benefits with a $300 weekly supplement through Labor Day (September 6, 2021), preventing benefits from expiring on March 31, 2021[67][3]Most Democrats favored a higher amount (with the House passing a bill with a $400 weekly supplement) and some favored a longer duration (through early October); however, the Senate passed a scaled-back provision at the insistence of Senator Joe Manchin and other moderate Democratic holdouts.[67][68][69]The bill provides that the first $10,200 in unemployment benefits are not taxable for households with incomes below $150,000, thus avoiding the risk of many workers incurring surprise tax liability.[70]$1,400 direct payments to individuals.[3][68]Under pressure from West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative Democrat, Biden agreed to have the direct payment start to phase out for high-income taxpayers, including some who received stimulus checks in previous stimulus rounds.[71][70] Under the Senate-passed bill, the stimulus benefit begins to phase out for taxpayers making $75,000 for individuals, $112,500 for single parents, and $150,000 for couples; taxpayers making more than $80,000 for individuals, $120,000 for single parents, and $160,000 for households will not receive any payment.[67] House Democrats and Biden had favored less stringent caps (with the House-passed bill setting income caps $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for couples).[69]Unlike in past rounds of stimulus payments, otherwise eligible adult dependents will receive payments,[70] including college students,[70] SSI recipients, and SSDI recipients.[72]Emergency paid leave for over 100 million Americans[3]The House- and Senate-passed bills provide a tax credit, through October 1, 2021, to employers who choose to offer paid sick leave and paid family leave benefits. However, the bills do not require employers to provide the benefit, as Biden initially proposed.[69]Extends a 15% increase in food stamp benefits (the increase, passed in previous rounds of stimulus; was set to expire at the end of June 2021; the bill extends it through September 2021).[69]Tax provisionsExpands the child tax credit[70] by allowing qualifying families to offset, for the 2021 tax year, $3,000 per child up to age 17 and $3,600 per child under age 6 for 2021,[70][69] up to a maximum of $8,000 in annual child care costs[3] The size of the benefit would diminish for Americans earning more than $75,000 per year. The proposal was backed by Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, who introduced a similar bill four days earlier.[73]Expands the earned income tax credit by removing the upper age limit and lowering the lower age limit to 19. The maximum benefit will also be increased to $1,502. These provisions are for 2021 only.[74]Included in the Senate bill is an amendment that makes forgiven student loan debt tax-free, should Biden or Congress decide to cancel any debt.[75][76]Reduction of reporting requirement (1099-K) for third party settlement organizations (e.g. PayPal) threshold from over $20,000 and 200 transactions to over $600 and no minimum number of transaction. This is expected to impact gig workers, independent contractors, casual eBay sellers, among others. This amendment is projected to generate $8.4 billion over the next decade.[77]Grants to small businesses,[3] specifically:$28.6 billion for a new grant program for restaurants and bars to meet payroll and other expenses. Individual businesses will be eligible for $5 million each.[78][69]$15 billion for Emergency Injury Disaster Loans (a long-term, low-interest loan program of the Small Business Administration); priority for some funds would go to "severely impacted small businesses with fewer than 10 workers".[69]An additional $7 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, and an expansion of the eligibility criteria to some non-profit organizations previously excluded from the program.[69]$3 billion for a payroll support program for aviation manufacturers. The industry itself will be responsible for funding half of the program, and the program will last six months.[78]$1.25 billion in funding for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant for music halls and other concert venues[78][79]$175 million for a Community Navigator Program to reach out to eligible businesses.[69]$350 billion to help state, local, and tribal governments bridge budget shortfalls and mitigate the fiscal shock.[68][67][80]Under both the House-passed bill and the Senate-passed bill, a total of $195 billion would be allocated among the states and the District of Columbia, and the tribes and territories would be allocated about $25 billion.[80]The Senate bill would allocate $60 billion to counties and $10 billion for a Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund; by contrast, the House bill would allocate $65 billion to counties and $65 billion to municipalities.[80]Education funding:$130 billion for K-12 schools,[68][81] to safely reopen most schools within 100 days.[3]The money for K-12 schools may be used to improve ventilation in school buildings, reduce class sizes to make social distancing possible, purchase personal protective equipment, and hire support staff.[81][70]20% of the school money must be directed to programs to help counteract "learning loss" from students who missed school during the pandemic.[70]Almost $40 billion for colleges and universities.[81]At least half of the money to colleges and universities must go to emergency grants to students.[75]Up to $25 billion[70] in aid to renters with unpaid debts to landlords;[3] utility assistance funding; homelessness prevention funding.[69]The bill contains the following COVID-19 funding (including for COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and contact tracing) and other healthcare-related funding:$50 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for vaccine distribution and assistance.[67]$47.8 billion on COVID-19 testing, mitigation, and transmission prevention, including diagnosis, tracing, and monitoring.[82]$13.48 billion for Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare programs through September 30, 2023.[82]$10 billion under the Defense Production Act for personal protective equipment and other medical gear, and for response to pathogens that could become future public health emergencies.[82]$7.66 billion for workforce programs for state, local, and territorial public health departments and certain nonprofits, including funds to hire and train "case investigators, contact tracers, social support specialists, community health workers, public health nurses, disease intervention specialists, epidemiologists, program managers, laboratory personnel, informaticians, communication and policy experts, and any other positions as may be required to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19."[82]$7.6 billion to community health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers to combat COVID-19, including promotion, distribution, and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine; COVID-19 tracing and mitigation; COVID-19-related equipment; and COVID-19 outreach and education.[82]$7.5 billion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, administration, and tracking,[82] including preparation of community vaccination centers and mobile vaccine units and acceleration of vaccine deployment.[3][82] The bill funds 100,000 public health workers for vaccination outreach and contact tracing.[3]$6.05 billion for "expenses related to research, development, manufacturing, production and purchase of vaccines".[82]$5.4 billion to the Indian Health Services.[82]$3.5 billion in block grants to states, evenly split between the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program and the Substance Abuse Prevention Treatment Block Grant program.[82]$1.75 billion for genomic sequencing, analytics, and disease surveillance.[82]$1 billion to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for vaccine confidence programs to increase vaccination rates.[82]Approximately $750 million on global health security to fight COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases.[82]$500 million to the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate vaccine performance and facilitate vaccine oversight and manufacturing.[82]$330 million for teaching health centers with graduate medical education programs.[82]$500 million to the CDC for public health surveillance and analytics, including a modernization of the U.S. disease warning system to predict COVID-19 "hot spots" and emerging public health threats.[82]$200 million for nursing loan repayment programs.[82]$100 million for the Medical Reserve Corps.[82]$100 million for a Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program.[82]$80 million for mental and behavioral health training.[82]$86 billion for a rescue package/bailout for approximately 185 multiemployer pension funds (usually pension plans set up by a union and industry) that are close to insolvency. The pension funds collectively cover 10.7 million workers.[83][84]Transportation provisions$30.5 billion in grants to public transit and commuter rail agencies across the country to mitigate major decreases in ridership and fare revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes $6 billion to the MTA (the U.S.'s largest public transit agency) and $1.4 billion to the WMATA, VRE and MARC.)[85]$15 billion for airlines and airline contractors for a third extension of Payroll Support Program (which would otherwise have expired at the end of March 2021). The extension will prevent the furlough of more than 27,000 aviation employees.[85]$8 billion for U.S. airports.[85]$2 billion for Amtrak.[85]$10.4 billion for agriculture and USDA, of which:[86][87]$4 billion (39% of total agricultural expenditures) and $1 billion (9.7% of total agricultural expenditures) goes to debt forgiveness and outreach/support, respectively, for socially disadvantaged farmers.[86] Experts identified the relief bill as the most important legislation for African-American farmers since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, benefiting many who were not fully compensated by the Pigford settlements.[87]$3.6 billion (35% of total agricultural expenditures) for COVID-19 response (e.g., for agricultural and supply chain workers) and for the purchase and distribution of food.[86]$800 million (7.7% of total agricultural expenditures) for Food for Peace.[86]$500 million (4.8% of total agricultural expenditures) for USDA-administered Emergency Rural Development Grants for Rural Healthcare.[82][86]$1.85 billion for cybersecurity funding as a response to the SolarWinds hack.[88]$1 billion will go to the General Services Administration's Technology Modernization Fund which will help the federal government launch new cyber and information technology programs.$650 million will go to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to improve its risk mitigation services.$200 million will go to the U.S. Digital ServiceSeems very little is “covid” related!

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.World Trade CenterOn September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and trapping hundreds more in higher floors.As the evacuation of the tower and its twin got underway, television cameras broadcasted live images of what initially appeared to be a freak accident. Then, 18 minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767—United Airlines Flight 175—appeared out of the sky, turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and sliced into the south tower near the 60th floor.The collision caused a massive explosion that showered burning debris over surrounding buildings and onto the streets below. It immediately became clear that America was under attack.Osama bin LadenThe hijackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly financed by the al Qaeda terrorist organization of Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden, they were allegedly acting in retaliation for America’s support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military presence in the Middle East.Some of the terrorists had lived in the United States for more than a year and had taken flying lessons at American commercial flight schools. Others had slipped into the country in the months before September 11 and acted as the “muscle” in the operation.The 19 terrorists easily smuggled box-cutters and knives through security at three East Coast airports and boarded four early-morning flights bound for California, chosen because the planes were loaded with fuel for the long transcontinental journey. Soon after takeoff, the terrorists commandeered the four planes and took the controls, transforming ordinary passenger jets into guided missiles.Pentagon AttackAs millions watched the events unfolding in New York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown Washington, D.C., before crashing into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m.Jet fuel from the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete building, which is the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense.All told, 125 military personnel and civilians were killed in the Pentagon, along with all 64 people aboard the airliner.Twin Towers CollapseLess than 15 minutes after the terrorists struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in New York took a catastrophic turn when the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a massive cloud of dust and smoke.The structural steel of the skyscraper, built to withstand winds in excess of 200 miles per hour and a large conventional fire, could not withstand the tremendous heat generated by the burning jet fuel.At 10:30 a.m., the north building of the twin towers collapsed. Only six people in the World Trade Center towers at the time of their collapse survived. Almost 10,000 others were treated for injuries, many severe.Flight 93Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane—United Flight 93—was hijacked about 40 minutes after leaving Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via cell phone and Airfone calls to the ground.Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants planned an insurrection.One of the passengers, Thomas Burnett, Jr., told his wife over the phone that “I know we’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do something about it. I love you, honey.” Another passenger—Todd Beamer—was heard saying “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll” over an open line.Sandy Bradshaw, a flight attendant, called her husband and explained that she had slipped into a galley and was filling pitchers with boiling water. Her last words to him were “Everyone’s running to first class. I’ve got to go. Bye.”The passengers fought the four hijackers and are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped toward the ground at upwards of 500 miles per hour, crashing in a rural field near Shanksville in western Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m.All 44 people aboard were killed. Its intended target is not known, but theories include the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland or one of several nuclear power plants along the eastern seaboard.How Many People Died in 9/11 Attacks?A total of 2,996 people were killed in the 9/11 attacks, including the 19 terrorist hijackers aboard the four airplanes. Citizens of 78 countries died in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.At the World Trade Center, 2,763 died after the two planes slammed into the twin towers. That figure includes 343 firefighters and paramedics, 23 New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation of the buildings and save the office workers trapped on higher floors.At the Pentagon, 189 people were killed, including 64 on American Airlines Flight 77, the airliner that struck the building. On Flight 93, 44 people died when the plane crash-landed in Pennsylvania.America Responds to the AttacksAt 7 p.m., President George W. Bush, who was in Florida at the time of the attacks and had spent the day being shuttled around the country because of security concerns, returned to the White House.At 9 p.m., he delivered a televised address from the Oval Office, declaring, “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”In a reference to the eventual U.S. military response he declared, “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.”Operation Enduring Freedom, the American-led international effort to oust the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and destroy Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network based there, began on October 7. Within two months, U.S. forces had effectively removed the Taliban from operational power, but the war continued, as U.S. and coalition forces attempted to defeat a Taliban insurgency campaign based in neighboring Pakistan.Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11th attacks, remained at large until May 2, 2011, when he was finally tracked down and killed by U.S. forces at a hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In June 2011, then-President Barack Obama announced the beginning of large-scale troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.Department of Homeland Security Is CreatedIn the wake of security fears raised by 9/11 and the mailing of letters containing anthrax that killed two and infected 17, The Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the Department of Homeland Security. It was signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 25, 2002. Today, the Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet responsible for preventing terror attacks, border security, immigrations and customs and disaster relief and prevention.The act was followed two days later by the formation of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. The bipartisan “9/11 Commission,” as it came to be known, was charged with investigating the events that lead up to September 11th. The 9/11 Commission Report was released on July 22, 2004. It named Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind behind 9/11, “the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks.”Mohammed led propaganda operations for al Qaeda from 1999-2001. He was captured on March 1, 2003 by the Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and interrogated before being imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay detention camp with four other accused terrorists charged with 9/11-related war crimes. The use of torture, including waterboarding, during Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s interrogation has received international attention. In August 2019, a U.S. military court judge in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba set a trial date for Mohammed and the other four men charged with plotting the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to begin in 2021.Economic Impact of 9/11The 9/11 attacks had an immediate negative effect on the U.S. economy. Many Wall Street institutions, including the New York Stock Exchange, were evacuated during the attacks. On the first day of trading after the attacks, the market fell 7.1 percent, or 684 points. New York City’s economy alone lost 143,000 jobs a month and $2.8 billion wages in the first three months. The heaviest losses were in finance and air transportation, which accounted for 60 percent of lost jobs. The estimated cost of the World Trade Center damage is $60 billion. The cost to clean the debris at Ground Zero was $750 million.Victim Compensation FundThousands of first responders and people working and living in lower Manhattan near Ground Zero were exposed to toxic fumes and particles emanating from the towers as they burned and fell. By 2018, 10,000 people were diagnosed with 9/11-related cancer.From 2001 to 2004, over $7 billion dollars in compensation was given to families of the 9/11 victims and the 2,680 people injured in the attacks. Funding was renewed on January 2, 2011, when President Barack Obama signed The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act into law. Named for James Zadroga, a New York City Police officer who died of respiratory disease he contracted after rescuing people from the rubble at Ground Zero, the law continued health monitoring and compensation for 9/11 first responders and survivors.In 2015, funding for the treatment of 9/11-related illness was renewed for five more years at a total of $7.4 billion. The Victim Compensation Fund was set to stop accepting claims in December 2020.On July 29, 2019, President Trump signed a law authorizing support for the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund through 2092. Previously, administrators had cut benefits by up to 70 percent as the $7.4 billion fund depleted. Vocal lobbyists for the fund included Jon Stewart, 9/11 first responder John Feal and retired New York Police Department detective and 9/11 responder Luis Alvarez, who died of cancer 18 days after testifying before Congress.9/11 Anniversary and MemorialOn December 18, 2001, Congress approved naming September 11 “Patriot Day” to commemorate the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In 2009, Congress named September 11 a National Day of Service and Remembrance.The first memorials to September 11 came in the immediate wake of the attacks, with candlelight vigils and flower tributes at U.S. embassies around the world. In Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth sang the American national anthem during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Rio de Janeiro put up billboards showing the city’s Christ the Redeemer statue embracing the New York City skyline.For the first anniversary of the attacks in New York City in 2002, two bright columns of light were shot up into the sky from where the Twin Towers once stood. The “Tribute in Light” then became an annual installation run by the Municipal Art Society of New York. On clear nights, the beams are visible from over 60 miles away.A World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition was held to select an appropriate permanent memorial to the victims of 9/11. The winning design by Michael Arad, “Reflecting Absence,” now sits outside the museum in an eight-acre park. It consists of two reflecting pools with waterfalls rushing down where the Twin Towers once rose into the sky.The names of all 2,983 victims are engraved on the 152 bronze panels surrounding the pools, arranged by where individuals were on the day of the attacks, so coworkers and people on the same flight are memorialized together. The site was opened to the public on September 11, 2011, to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum followed, opening on the original World Trade Center site in May 2014. The Freedom Tower, also on the original World Trade Center site, opened in November 2014.