'They lack humanity': Jon Stewart and 9/11 first responders excoriate GOP senators who blocked renewal of funding for 9/11 victims
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Comedian Jon Stewart and 9/11 first responders are slamming the two Republican senators who blocked swift passage of a bill to permanently renew the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund just weeks before Congress goes out session as "hypocrites" and "opportunists."
The bill, which the House of Representatives passed 402-12 on July 12, extends permanent funding until 2090 to compensate and fund healthcare for the the survivors and first responders who were injured by the attacks on September 11, 2001."It has long been my feeling that we need to address our massive debt in this country. We have a $22 trillion debt; we're adding debt at about $1 trillion a year," Paul said."Therefore, any new spending that we are approaching that has the longevity of 70, 80 years should be offset by cutting spending that's less valuable."
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also took a measure to place "a hold" on the legislation until more funding is secured for the bill, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.Both on Fox and in a Thursday morning appearance on CNN's "New Day," Feal blasted the Senators as 'hypocrites."
"Senator Paul and Senator Lee are opportunists, they are bottom feeders, and any statement that they come out with doesn't hold water with me," Feal said to Fox's Bret Baier. "You can't cherry-pick and choose when you want to be a conservative fiscal hawk. That's just insulting to our intelligence and shame on them. They lack humanity and they lack leadership."
Read more: 'You're not good at this argument thing': Jon Stewart fires back at Mitch McConnell for downplaying his impassioned efforts to help 9/11 victimsFor his part, Paul tweeted that he was "not blocking the 9/11 bill - simply asking for a vote on an amendment to offset the cost."
A spokesperson for Lee told the Post that the senator "fully expects the 9/11 compensation bill to pass before the August recess and he is seeking a vote to ensure the fund has the proper oversight in place to prevent fraud and abuse."
Neither Stewart or Feal were satisfied with their explanations, with Stewart pointing to government officials previously testifying to no discernible fraud and abuse of the program.Read more:
House approves bill to ensure 9/11 victims fund never runs out of moneyLuis Alvarez, NYPD detective who testified for healthcare for 9/11 first responders, has died at 53
Jon Stewart's powerful 9/11 monologue from 2001 is going viral again after he slammed Congress for failing to help first respondersCopyright © 2021. Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved.For reprint rights. Times Syndication Service.
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