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American Morning
Government's Plan to Distribute Federal Funds to Families of Victims of 09-11 Under Fire
Aired February 05, 2002 - 09:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: The government's plan to distribute federal funds to the families of victims of 09-11 has been under fire ever since it was announced. Last night, there was a very tense meeting between special master Kenneth Feinberg, the man charged with coming up with the distribution formula, and some of the families.
Hillary Lane was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY LANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Within 30 seconds of opening the floor to questions, 25 people had rushed to the microphones. Each had lost a loved one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my husband and our 2 1/2-year-old twins. I'm obviously expecting shortly.
LANE: Each wanted answers from Kenneth Feinberg.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you basically tell us to trust you -- this will be OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I basically tell you not to truth me.
LANE: When Feinberg, the man appointed to oversee the Victim Compensation Fund gives those answers, he is consistently loud, forceful and firm. But he's listening, too.
When families of civil servants began to yell at each other, it was Feinberg who made the peace.
KENNETH FEINBERG, 09/11 VICTIM COMPENSATION FUND: What I hear you saying is everybody who was a victim should receive more than $250, 000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I do agree with that.
LANE: It's clear Kenneth Feinberg is in this role because he is straight-forward and doesn't back down from confrontation. In about two weeks, what may have been the hardest part of his job will be over. He'll issue the final set of rules, and then leave it up to the families to decide.
Whether to take the government's settlement and waive their right to sue or take the road Feinberg repeatedly warned against.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know that that's a dead end, as you've already stated here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What? The airline suit?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right. Dead end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dead end.
LANE: Many here feel their hands are tied.
CARL DIFRANCO, FATHER OF 09/11 VICTIM: It's a snow job between Mr. Feinberg with the fund and it's a snow job between Congress, what they did. They made victims of everybody a second time around.
LANE: A few understand.
SONNY GOLDSTEIN, FATHER OF 09/11 VICTIM: He's in no-win situation. He's not going to please everybody. We are all going to be a little bit upset. Again, here we go again. How do you put a dollar value on your family, on your grandchildren, on my daughter?
LANE: A job King Solomon refused, one Kenneth Feinberg is about to do 3,000 times over.
Hillary Lane, for CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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