Interview - The 25-Year Fight For 9/11 Responders

As part of Mo News’ special coverage marking 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Jill Wagner sits down with John Feal, a former Ground Zero demolition supervisor who was injured during the cleanup efforts. In the decades since, he founded the FealGood Foundation and became a leading advocate for first responders, survivors, volunteers and others who were injured or sickened by exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero.

In his new book, I Will Follow You Anywhere, Feal recounts the years-long fight to pass legislation like the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act: how his team organized their relentless lobbying efforts in Congress, built relationships across party lines, and refused to let perfect become the enemy of the good. He also talks about his close relationship with comedian Jon Stewart, and the lessons he learned from lawmakers like Nancy Pelosi about navigating Washington.Feal also reflects on the responders and survivors who have died or continue to live with 9/11-related illnesses, the ongoing fight to expand healthcare coverage, and what he hopes a younger generation will remember about the attacks on September 11th and the days that followed.

Jill Wagner (⁠@jillrwagner⁠) is an Emmy and Murrow award-winning journalist. She's the Managing Editor of Mo News. Jill previously worked as a correspondent for CBS News, Cheddar News, and News 12. She also co-founded the Need2Know newsletter, and has made it a goal to drop a Seinfeld reference into every Mo News podcast.