It seems like a no-brainer. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand attempted to pass legislation that would permanently fund compensation for 9/11 first responders facing health issues. All Democrats and a majority of Republicans support the bill. It was on course to sail through the Senate Thursday, but Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) had other ideas and he had Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) helping him stall the vote. The Washington Post writes:
Paul said he objected because any program that would last decades “should be offset by cutting spending that’s less valuable. We need, at the very least, to have this debate,” he said, adding that he would offer an amendment on the cost of the bill when it reaches the Senate floor.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) also has placed a hold on the legislation, according to advocates. Paul’s objection angered Democrats, who have been able to muster bipartisan support for the bill, which has 73 co-sponsors in the Senate.
Remember: Rand Paul was happy to vote for Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell’s trillion-dollar tax handout to millionaires, but he blocked my request for unanimous consent on the 9/11 first responders bill.
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) July 17, 2019
Jon Stewart has been fighting on behalf of first responders to get this bill passed. After the bill stalled Thursday he decided to speak out on Fox News. Most likely an effort to reach viewers who support Paul and Lee. Here’s part of what Stewart said:
“It’s absolutely outrageous and you pardon me if I’m not impressed in any way by Rand Paul’s fiscal responsibility virtue signaling. Rand Paul presented tissue paper avoidance of the $1.5 trillion tax cut that added on hundreds of billions of dollars to our deficit and now he stands up at the last minute after 15 years of blood, sweat, and tears from the 9/11 community to say that it’s all over now, now we are going to balance the budget on the backs of the 9/11 first responder community… This is about what kind of society we have. At some point, we have to stand up for the people who have always stood up for us. And at this moment in time, maybe cannot stand up for themselves due to their illnesses and their injuries, and what Rand Paul did today in the Senate was outrageous.”
Watch the segment above.