Jon Stewart Responds To Senator Rand Paul Blocking Vote Of 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund

Jon Stewart had some harsh words for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul after the Senator moved to block a vote to reauthorize and fund the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.

Stewart appeared on Fox News Wednesday, along with 9/11 first responder John Feal, to respond to Sen. Paul and Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s move to block an up and down vote on funding for the Compensation Fund. Paul had taken to the Senate floor, arguing that more spending shouldn’t be added to the government’s budget until cuts are made that can offset the spending.

“It has long been my feeling that we need to address our massive debt in the country,” Paul said Wednesday. “And therefore any new spending ... should be offset by cutting spending that's less valuable. We need to at the very least have this debate.”

Stewart, who has been the most outspoken advocate for the 9/11 first responders and providing them health care, had some harsh words for Sen. Paul.

“Pardon me if I'm not impressed in any way by Rand Paul's fiscal responsibility virtue signaling,” Stewart said. “Rand Paul presented tissue paper avoidance of the 1.5 trillion tax cut that added 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 so that it's all over now, now we're going to balance the budget on the backs of the 9/11 first responder community.”

And this isn’t the first time Stewart had harsh words for Congress in 2019. He appeared in front of the House Judiciary Committee in June, along with 9/11 first responders and family members, and ripped into Congress for the perceived inaction to provide aid for the responders.

Feal also responded, saying he “wasn’t surprised” by the Senators’ move to block the vote and that “this is their M.O.” He took it a step further, calling both “opportunists” and “bottom-feeders.”

However, Feal also expressed confidence that there is enough support for the bill in the Senate on both sides of the aisle that the bill can pass with no new amendments. He cited support from Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell as reason for his confidence.