Jon Stewart & Truth of the 9-11 First Responder funding
Bottom Line: According to Congressional records there are approximately 93,000 survivors of 9/11 which are still receiving assistance from the federal government’s program created to aid victims of the terror attacks that day. The suffering that many families still face is evidenced by the 243 first responders on 9/11 who’ve died due to illnesses obtained during their service since 2002. The need for many families is real. What isn’t is the politicking that unfortunately dominated a process that didn’t used to be politicized and shouldn’t have been this time.
This week the Senate voted to extend benefits for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund through 2092, matching what the House had done previously and sending the bill to President Trump’s desk for him to sign into law. Here’s what didn’t change for victims. Anything. The fund has been and is paying out all needs and was set to do so for the duration of the year. Yes, this is needed to continue funding through 2020 and beyond but that was never in question. Votes had long been planned to extend the funds and there never was broad-based opposition.
Sadly, Jon Stewart’s political grandstanding, along with a complicit media, painted a picture that was never real. In fact, objectively, it’s objectionable what Jon Stewart along with his political allies in government and in media did. They used 9/11 victims as political pawns to advance a false narrative and come across as heroes in the process. Apparently, in the name of politics, there is no shame left, with many on the left.