Today was a win for 9/11 first responders, and those in lower Manhattan, young and old, who became victims from toxic air around Ground Zero. The Senate passed a long-delayed bill that will guarantee that all victims will have their health costs covered until the year 2092. The bill, which already passed the House of Representatives, is expected to be signed by the President on Friday. This wasn’t an easy road though. Jon Stewart has been lobbying Congress, along with first responders for months to pass the bill. Even this morning as questions swirled over whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would stick to his word and support it. Photographer Bill Clark snapped this memorable photo of McConnell walking past Stewart who had excoriated the Senate leader.
.@McConnellPress walks past Jon Stewart at the Ohio Clock Corridor in the Capitol. The Senate will be voting later today on HR 1327: Never Forget the Heroes: Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act. pic.twitter.com/bZ0FaOhTSl
— Bill Clark (@billclarkphotos) July 23, 2019
After the vote, 9/11 first responder John Feal, who has been there every step of the way during this compensation battle thanked McConnell for helping it pass (watch above). He also heaped praise on Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer for championing the bill. But there were two people he didn’t thank. Feal remarked, “As for Rand Paul and Mike Lee, told you so. We whipped your asses, 97 to 2.” Senators Paul and Lee attempted to block the bill from passing citing “growing debt” the country is facing and marginalizing the fund by saying there is a need to cut “spending that’s less valuable.”
Awesome moment: Jon Stewart embraces a crying John Feal, the 9/11 first responder who led the organization pushing for the full extension of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund, just after the bill passed in the Senate 97-2: pic.twitter.com/ombosZSxr0
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) July 23, 2019