FBI to Screen 9/11 Responders Against Terror List

Police, firefighters, construction workers, and anyone else covered by the 9/11 responders bill will be warned that their names must be compared to the FBI's terrorist watch list before they can receive benefits, according to a letter obtained by the Huffington Post. The requirement was added by GOP Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida as the bill was hotly debated last fall. Responders will be informed that their names, government ID numbers, and other details are being passed to the FBI.

One of those who will be getting the letter, former NYPD emergency services officer Glen Klein, says the requirement is "absurd" and he can't see any good reason for the FBI to be screening the cops and firefighters who responded to the attack. “Is the idea that a terrorist stayed to help clean up? And then stayed all these years to try and get benefits?” he asked. “In all the things I’ve seen out of Washington, this probably takes the cake." (More 9/11 attacks stories.)