NYP: Jon Stewart shames lawmakers for not showing up to 9/11 victims fund hearing

[Riggo-toni]

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEB-y7QU6m_-5YlohMouhEc0qGAgEKg8IACoHCAowhK-LAjD4ySww69W0BQ?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

 

NEWS

Jon Stewart shames lawmakers for not showing up to 9/11 victims fund hearing

By Nikki Schwab

June 11, 2019 | 1:27pm

WASHINGTON – Former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart shamed members of a House panel Tuesday when only five lawmakers were seated in the rostrum to hear survivors of the Sept. 11 terror attacks testify about the need to reauthorize the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

 

“As I sit here today, I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting health care and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to,” Stewart began. “Behind me 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,” he continued. “Shameful. It’s an embarrassment to the country and a stain on this institution and you should be ashamed of yourselves, for those who aren’t here, but you won’t be because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber.”

[TradeTheBeal!]

Jon Stewart is a great American.

[Dan T.]

Here's more of Stewart's address to the committee.  Powerful.  No notes... he spoke from the heart.

 

 

[MisterPinstripe]

I have so much respect for Jon Stewart and so little for our elected officials.

[TradeTheBeal!]

To be fair...

 

Later in the hearing, subcommittee Chairman Cohen defended lawmakers' attendance.

"My subcommittee, every single member on my side, which is eight of us, have been here today," Cohen said, adding that other committee members were present in other committee meetings or visiting with constituents.

 

[tshile]

Jon looks old  

[bearrock]

Why do we even need a hearing on this?  7 billion was allocated to compensate the victims, 5 billion of which has been spent.  The fund was also designed to keep the airlines from going bankrupt as victim compensation would've been unmanageable for the airlines.  We allocated 40 billion for Hurricane Maria (which is less than half of what's needed apparently) and we have to have a hearing to have the cancer ridden victims of the worst act of terrorism on domestic soil come and testify to a committee, half of which can't be bothered to show up?  What on earth am I paying my taxes for?

[Springfield]

So what party showed up?

[PleaseBlitz]

Wow, that was powerful. 

[Renegade7]

2 hours ago, tshile said:

Jon looks old  

56, could be worse.

 

Cant wait to get out of class and watch him speak again, I wish he would speak more even though I get he used to speak a lot.

[Yohan]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

So what party showed up?

PRESENT:

Dems: 

Nadler, Cohen, Raskin, Dean, Scanlon, S. Jackson Lee, Escobar

 

Repubs: 

Johnson, Cline

 

NOT PRESENT:

@ericswalwell (D)

@RepSylviaGarcia (D)

@repLouieGohmert (R)

@Jim_Jordan (R)

@GReschenthaler (R)

@RepArmstrongND (R)

[bearrock]

1 hour ago, Springfield said:

So what party showed up?

Mix of both.  Not a party specific problem

[Spaceman Spiff]

27 minutes ago, bearrock said:

Mix of both.  Not a party specific problem

 

Ah, but we'd like it to be.

[tshile]

Well it’s heavily slanted one way so...

[twa]

Mine didn't show up, they should fire her.....or at least a good flogging.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Congress, especially the Senate, has been an utter embarrassment for some time now.

[TradeTheBeal!]

On the brightside, we managed to hold a hearing on the health of US citizens that didn’t contain Ted Cruz reading from Green Eggs & Ham for two hours.

 

I call that progress.

[Larry]

The phrase "Jon Stewart shames lawmakers" implies that they have any.  I call BS.