Jon Stewart’s exact words while speaking to the House Judiciary Committee because only a handful of members showed up to a hearing to renew the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.
The man is right.
Granted, the Judiciary Committee has a lot of irons in the fire. And apparently the attendance issue was due to the choice of venue more than to committee members being absent:
Jon Stewart calls out Congress' indifference to 9/11 first responders.
If there were only 14 members in the relevant subcommittee, and 12 of them were present, then the choice of venue was the problem (setting up a terrible visual).
Still, the issue of short-term funding of this clearly long-term issue is a problem that needs solving.
This country is so embarrassing and just downright evil in many ways. Its been 18 years.
In other nations even the homeless get health care. Here even first responders do not.
Jon is one of my most favorite people in the world. I admire him greatly. I wish he ran the world.
Well this is interesting; other sources are giving lesser numbers in attendance than yours is. I wonder which news source is correct, or did a bunch come in late?
“A little over half of the 14-member subcommittee members were present, mostly Democrats.” according to CBS
The NY Post article lists nine at the hearing, but only eight when he made his remarks.
It’s routine for attendance to vary during the course of s committee hearing. Members come and go to make statements and ask questions. It’s possible that 12 of 14 members made an appearance at some point, but that there were never more than 8 or 9 present at any one time.
I think the fact that a lot of the committee didn’t show up is just salt in the wound of having to even argue this in front of a committee in the first place. This should have been a simple, unanimous voice vote. The fact that these people have had to show up in person to argue their case, again, is obscene.
This.
My understanding is a number of those absent are supporting or in fact co-sponsored the bill which will rectify this issue. If true, that changes things for me. Committee hearings are routinely minimally attended.
AIUI, House Dems have already written a bill to grant aid to first responders in perpetuity. It will easily pass in the House. It will likely pass in the Senate – if only it would be called for a vote.
Guess who is blocking that from happening?
McConnell’s depravity is bottomless.
His pathological hypocrisy and dishonesty combined with his behavior make me sincerely believe is a bonafide sociopath.
I hope he loses his primary for being ‘too liberal’. Even if he is replaced by another republican, its still better than McConnell.
The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund would be extended until 2090, passed on a voice vote, with no opposition or dissent. Pelosi pledged that it will pass the house.