By Anthony Rifilato
The ticket was given to Beckwith last week by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), who is pressuring the Bush administration to release $90 million in federal health funds in order to monitor rescue workers suffering from respiratory problems in the wake of Sept. 11.
Maloney, who urged her House colleagues to give up their gallery passes so firefighters and rescue workers could attend instead, invited the Uniformed Firefighters Association to send a member and is hoping that the presence of firemen at the speech will send a strong message to the president.
Beckwith, by being in the famous photo and TV footage with the president, would have put a face on the issue.
In an interview with the Daily News, Beckwith said he is a Republican and "didn't know that he was taking a seat from a Democrat."
Though Beckwith would like to see the funds released, he said he didn't want to embarrass the president by attending.
Beckwith could not be reached for comment at press time.
Maloney has now given her ticket to Philp McArdle, a health and safety officer for the firefighters union.
A spokesperson for Maloney said that although Beckwith turned down the invitation, he has done a great service by even considering and speaking out about the issue. And while Beckwith has refused the invite, several ground zero workers are expected to attend.
Part of an aid package that was promised to New York after the attacks, the $90 million was diverted to a separate spending plan, which the president rejected. Though $12 million has been given to the federal health program, that money will be depleted in July.
