Posted on 06/12/2019 5:18:20 PM PDT by Beave Meister
The House Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill which would permanently reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund Wednesday, the day after comedian Jon Stewart gave impassioned testimony in support of the bill in video that quickly went viral.
The bill will now go to the floor for a full vote in the House of Representatives, where it is likely to pass. It's unclear whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will take up the bill in the Senate, although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Wednesday that he was "imploring, pleading, even begging" McConnell to bring the bill to the floor as soon as it passes in the House.
Stewart, the former host of "The Daily Show," gave emotional testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on Tuesday, at times broke down in tears and shouted at the lawmakers, calling them "shameful."
"I can't help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is ... a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me, a nearly empty Congress. Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak to no one ... shameful," said Stewart at the outset of his remarks. A little over half of the 14-member subcommittee members were present, mostly Democrats.
Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010, over opposition from some Republicans who balked at its $7 billion price tag. The act was reauthorized in 2015 for 90 years. But a portion of the law — the Victim Compensation Fund — was only funded for five years, through the end of 2020. The fund aimed to provide necessary financial support for the thousands who suffered serious medical issues, including a spate of cancer diagnoses, after the 2001 attacks.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Firefighting is dangerous enough. It’s ridiculous to put firefighters at risk like that when the situation does NOT involve immediate threats to public safety.
I’m really sorry for what you have gone through with the losses among your friends and neighbors.
This is a slush fund. There are no checks and balences to validate true victims from scammers. You were in the Bahamas during 9/11 attack and came back 2 weeks later, hey I was there! Gimme money! . It’s been 18 years. Any of these cancer victims smokers? No screening needed or verification needed. The one thing that puzzles me is why none of these people took an extra minute to put on a dust mask or wear a respirator. Should not be the taxpayers footing the bill for thier unwillingness to protect themselves. Let Stewart whine all he wants. This needs to end!
It was my understanding the fund was running out of money.
Good!!!!! It’s a disgrace it wasn’t passed every year since 2012. What scum congress is.
Every one of them need to be primaries and kicked out. I bet If someone ran on this issue alone they’d win.
That’s appreciated but please don’t place your sorrow with me.
I don’t deserve it.
You can feel sorry about my head injury, THAT sucks! :)
JK
The kids are ALWAYS the worst part. it’s just not fair losing fathers very young.
And the kids at St. Jude’s have it FAR worse than so many.
BUT IT IS WRONG that NO ONE???? NOT ONE PERSON???? thought “HEY, GOING INTO AN ASBESTOS (AND A MILLION OTHER CHEMICALS) FILLED PIT WITH A SMALL CLOTH MASK MIGHT NOT CUT IT!!”
Something seemed odd to me at the time but we were all in shock.
But leaders are supposed to be the ONES who get PAST the SHOCK and make life saving decisions!!
Now I’m mad.
This is such crap. What Stewart did was get congress to get off their butts after almost 20 years. An American disgrace.
I wish I could download all your posts here on FR. You’re one of the best characters here, and a good guy.
It took a f-ing comedian to get these a-holes to do something? Congress is a worthless.
This Compensation Fund is funded through 2020. Where is the crisis to fund it now? What is the rush?
What does it pay for? Other parts of 911 First Responders victim assistance is funded for 90 years. This was only funded for 5 years.
Who manages the money? What is the oversite to ensure the money goes to where it is suppose to and not back into Democrat coffers.
First Responders in my area receive good health & disability benefits. What benefits are guaranteed them for 90 years and why should this fund be renewed? Is there financial hardship? Why should these folks receive more than a disabled Military or other Americans on disability?
Not saying no, saying it requires a review.
The program is set up to extend until — get this — 2090. How many people who were working at Ground Zero are still going to be alive in 2090?
Here’s the reality, dude: In the coming decades the U.S. taxpayers are going to pay billions of dollars in “9/11 victim compensation” to the families of New York City workers who die of natural causes.
Nah I’m a psychopath who can have mean tendencies but I do my best.
Man I am WAY TOO HONEST about myself and my opinions on this board!!
Every morning I thank God and Jim that I am still able to log in :)
LOL!!
Not a penny should ever have come out of the US Treasury for thing related to 911.
The Saudi’s should be paying for it!
And see my post #14 on the same thread.
Come on people, use some common sense and look who is pushing this. When do liberal dimocrats give a rip about anyone unless it benefits them somehow? Based on the whole reason it was started you know it’s been abused as a massive dim slush fund. Before we start filling up their piggy bank again with masses of taxpayers dollars, who is doing audits and accounting for this money? Shouldn’t the people responsible be funding this and not the taxpayers?
they want to keep the 911 victims fund, funded for 70 years, with no limit on funding!
the whole thing is a scam. the fund has become open to anyone that gets sick with cancer and other diseases, who can claim they were exposed to dust in the area.
while there are people that have developed problems or died from expose at the WTC site, at this point, the majority of people getting benefit from the fund is lawyers -
if you do a search for ‘911 victim fund’ or ‘911 cancers’, you see pages of ads for places that will help get money for people, for their cut of the proceeds.
it is all a SCAM now, and a review process should be done on how money was given out, and who has been paid, before any consideration of additional funds made, if any at all.
I understood why immediately after we wanted to help the families and victims. But it’s been 18 years. I don’t think we should need to be doing this anymore.
My opinion.
Exactly.
It’s a whine-fest of “someone has to pay”, and make US pay even though the guilty party is MOSLEM FOREIGNERS.
Jon Stewart, the comedian? Strange.
It’s also surprising since really, Congress thinks of all of us as meat anyway, like chopped liver with a vote.
Oh so the comedian has some concept of what’s going on with an event that happened 18 years ago now
I clearly was the worst terrorist attack ever of the United States of America there’s no doubt but New York City being the corrupt hell
Hole it is I don’t trust those people as far as I can spit
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