Mike Rogers is attacking Abdul El-Sayed over 9/11 tweets, but his own legislative record on first responders tells a far more damning story
“Mike Rogers – shame on him.”
The political landscape in Michigan is heating up as the race for an open U.S. Senate seat intensifies. Lately, Republican candidate Mike Rogers has been aggressively targeting his opponent, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, over social media posts related to the 9/11 attacks. According to The Guardian, Rogers has gone so far as to make a false claim that El-Sayed, who is Muslim, said the United States deserved the attack.
However, a look at the legislative record of Rogers himself presents a much more complicated picture about his commitment to those who served during and after that national tragedy. Congressional records show that Rogers, a former member of Congress, has a history of voting against healthcare and benefits for 9/11 first responders and survivors. Throughout his time in office, he helped kill various bills designed to provide essential support to the people who were on the front lines in New York.
One of the most notable instances occurred in 2010 during the vote for the James Zadroga Act. This legislation was crucial for funding healthcare for 9/11 first responders and survivors, helping to monitor and treat approximately 40,000 people who worked in toxic conditions after the towers fell.
That funding was vital for treating over 50 types of cancer linked to exposures at Ground Zero
Rogers was among the Republicans who voted against the bill, arguing in committee that it jeopardizes the financial health of the United States. While 156 other Republicans joined him in opposition, 17 GOP members broke ranks to support the measure, which eventually passed the House despite his vote.
John Feal, a 9/11 first responder who spent 11 weeks in the hospital after a steel beam fell on his foot at Ground Zero, has been a vocal critic of Rogers. Feal, who had part of his foot amputated, recalls discussing the Zadroga legislation with Rogers directly on the floor of Congress during a committee debate. According to Feal, Rogers dismissed the health issues of first responders as a New York problem and asked, “Where is the money to help them going to come from?”
Feal described this opposition as a betrayal, noting that politicians often praise first responders as heroes until they become sick and require government support. He stated, “Here’s the thing: Republicans like Mike Rogers love cops and firefighters until one gets shot or burned in a fire and can’t do his job. That’s their playbook. They say: ‘You’re a hero. Oh, wait, you’re sick? You’re a drain on the municipality and the federal government. Get out of here.’”
The track record for Rogers goes beyond the Zadroga Act
In 2002, he voted against adding additional funding for veterans’ healthcare and first responders to a bill intended to compensate New York City schools for expenses related to 9/11. By 2011, he voted for a homeland security appropriations bill that faced backlash for its deep cuts to terrorism prevention funding and support for state and local first responders.
Furthermore, in 2013 and 2014, Rogers voted against budget amendments that included billions in funding for first responders. In 2013, he also opposed a proposal meant to protect their pensions.
Henry Yanez, a retired Michigan firefighter and current city council member in Sterling Heights, has endorsed El-Sayed and expressed disappointment in Rogers. Yanez, who traveled to New York City to support fire departments in the wake of the attacks, remarked, “When you’re talking about the health and safety of our first responders, and now you’re going to kick the can down the road, you know – that’s a problem as far as I’m concerned. Mike Rogers – shame on him.”
Yanez added that he finds the stance particularly surprising given that Rogers is a former FBI agent who, in his view, should understand the gravity of the situation. The tension in this race isn’t limited to legislative records. Rogers has constantly leveled barbs at El-Sayed merely for being Muslim.
El-Sayed does not seem to be swayed
The Hill reports that El-Sayed recently took a unique approach to campaigning by releasing an online game titled ‘COME HOME, MIKE.’ The game features a pixelated version of Rogers on a boat, challenging players to navigate him from Florida back to Michigan. It serves as a critique of Rogers moving to Florida after leaving the House.
The game includes roadblocks where players must answer questions about issues like the cost of prescription drugs. When asked if he would vote to lower those costs, the game offers no viable ‘yes’ option.
Rogers dismissed these tactics, saying, “while [El-Sayed] plays games, we’ll keep talking to Michiganders.” His campaign has also attempted to pivot by pointing toward an investment property owned by the wife of El-Sayed in Dubai.
Meanwhile, the controversy over his own record remains a point of contention. Rogers recently sent an email to supporters claiming to have seen the body of Osama bin Laden with his own eyes, despite not being in Pakistan or the White House Situation Room during the raid. This adds another layer of scrutiny to his campaign.
For people like Feal, however, Rogers’ legislative history speaks volumes. Many agree with the view that opposition to critical benefits for first responders is enough of a disqualifying factor for a candidate seeking a seat in the Senate.
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