Jon Stewart hit out at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the Republican from Kentucky questioned why the former Daily Show host was ‘all bent out of shape’ over the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.
Stewart appeared on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show on Monday to respond to comments made by McConnell earlier in the day.
He accused McConnell of taking a ‘we’ll get to it when we get to it’ approach while accusing him of using 9/11 first responders as a ‘political pawn.’
McConnell told Fox & Friends on Monday morning that there was no reason to get ‘all bent out of shape’ over the issue.
Jon Stewart (left) hit out at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (right) after the Republican from Kentucky questioned why the former Daily Show host was ‘all bent out of shape’ over the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund
Stewart appeared on Monday’s edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
‘Well many things in Congress happen at the last minute. We have never failed to address this issue, and we will address it again,’ McConnell told Fox & Friends Monday morning in reference to the compensation that was created for victims of the attack in exchange for their agreement not to sue the airline corporations involved.
‘I don’t know why he’s all bent out of shape,’ the Republican leader continued. ‘We will take care of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund.’
Stewart appeared at a House hearing last week and gave an emotional statement when only five of the 14 members on the subcommittee showed up for the hearing.
On his CBS show which aired late Monday, Colbert asked Stewart if he was ‘bent out of shape.’
‘No, no Mitch McConnell, I am not bent out of shape, I’m in fine shape,’ Stewart said.
‘Well I am out of shape. But not because of you… I’m fine.
‘I’m bent out of shape for them, these are the first heroes and veterans and victims of the great trillions of dollars war on terror.
‘And they’re currently still suffering and dying and still in terrible need.
‘You would think that that would be enough to get Congress’s attention. But apparently it’s not.’
McConnell chastised comedian Jon Stewart for ‘looking for some way to take offense,’ to the poor turnout for a 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund hearing
While appearing on Fox & Friends, McConnell responded to Stewarts attacks on him, claiming the comedian was ‘all bent out of shape’ for no reason
Stewart also slammed McConnell for saying on Monday that the reason so few legislators were present during Stewart’s appearance last week before the House Judiciary Committee was because ‘members have a lot of things going on at the same time.’
Stewart joked he didn’t realize lawmakers were so ‘busy.’
‘I feel like an a*****e,’ he said.
‘Now I feel stupid. This is a huge misunderstanding.
‘I didn’t know that they were busy. I didn’t mean to interrupt them with their jobs.
‘Honestly, Mitch McConnell, you really want to go with that we’ll get to it when we get to it argument for the heroes of 9/11.’
Stewart said McConnell was ‘not good at this argument thing.’
‘Basically we’re saying you love the 9/11 community when they serve your political purposes, but when they’re in urgent need, you slow walk, you dither, you use it as a political pawn to get other things you want,’ he said.
Stewart said that ‘we’ve spent a year compiling bipartisan co-sponsors and advocates for this bill, all in the hopes that when it finally gets to the great Mitch McConnell’s desk, you won’t jack us around like you’ve done in the past.
‘If you want to know why we’re bent out of shape, meet with them tomorrow, and don’t make them beg for it.
‘You could pass this thing tomorrow. If you’re busy I get it.’
Stewart appeared at a House hearing last week and gave an emotional statement when only five of the 14 members on the subcommittee showed up for the hearing.
On Fox News Sunday, Stewart said McConnell hasn’t dealt with this issue ‘compassionately’
The hearing was prompted as allotted money for the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was pledged in 2015, is rapidly being used up. The bill would ensure funding for medical coverage for victims until 2090, but the kitty of money would likely fall short of that timeline.
The legislation has set aside $7.3 billion to compensate victims of the 9/11 attacks, their families and first responders, but $5 billion has already been paid out. Families and their advocates say at least another $5 billion is needed to cover pending claims.
Lawmakers have since proposed paying out claims at 50 percent of their value – sparking backlash.
Stewart, a longtime advocate for 9/11 responders, and a host of victims’ families appeared in Congress to appeal for greater funding.
The former Daily Show host appeared on Fox News Sunday where he chastised McConnell when talking about his own advocacy for the victims and his viral appearance in Congress where he often had to choke back tears.
‘I want to make it clear that this has never been dealt with compassionately by Senator McConnell,’ Stewart told Fox host Chris Wallace.
‘He has always held out until the very last minute, and only then, under intense lobbying and public shaming, has he even deigned to move on it.’
During a hearing on medical funding for 9/11 victims and first responders, Stewart became visibly upset when only five of the 14 members on the subcommittee showed up
During the viral remarks, the longtime 9/11 first responders advocate said it was ‘shameful’ that sick and dying victims showed up to speak to a virtually empty panel
McConnell said it was common for hearings panels to be partially empty because members of Congress have ‘a lot of things going on at the same time.’
The senator from Kentucky claimed Stewart was searching ‘for some way to take offense’ to the turn out of the hearing when it had nothing to do personally with the cause.
‘It sounds to me like he’s looking for some way to take offense,’ he continued.
‘There’s no way we won’t address this problem appropriately. We have in the past and we will again in the future.’
The 56-year-old comedian said during his appearance before Congress that it was ‘shameful’ and a sign of ‘disrespect’ that 9/11 first responders came to Capitol Hill to speak to a virtually empty House panel.
‘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. It’s an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution,’ he said while fighting back tears.
Stewart received a standing ovation from the 9/11 first responders.