Mitch McConnell says he doesn't know why Jon Stewart is 'bent out of shape' over 9/11 victims fund

Last week Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was noncommittal about whether he would support the permanent reauthorization of the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund. The fund enables 9/11 first responders, surviving families, and others battling deadly ailments such as cancer—like the teachers and children who attended school near the toxic World Trade Center site—to receive basic benefits and most importantly, health care.

Incredibly, there has not been a long-term fund established and year after year, surviving first responders, many of whom are battling end stage cancers, make the trek to Washington, D.C. to fight for their own care. Former talk show host Jon Stewart has been a champion for these survivors and last week he got a standing ovation after his impassioned testimony to Congress. The very next day the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to move a bill forward that would permanently authorize the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Next it will go to the full House for a vote and then onto Mitch McConnell’s graveyard of bills in the Senate.

Stewart specifically called out Mitch McConnell for blocking progress on a long-term solution for nearly a decade, saying, “In terms of getting the 9/11 bills passed, Mitch McConnell has been the white whale of this since 2010.” Stewart appeared on Fox News on Sunday to drive home that point that 9/11 responders are dying, seven in the last week alone, while Mitch McConnell plays games.

from Daily Kos http://www.dailykos.com/stories/1865397