Jon Stewart takes to Capitol Hill to criticize lawmakers trying to restructure a 9/11 healthcare initiative

jon stewart health care

Comedian Jon Stewart was on Capitol Hill on Monday where he criticized the restructuring of a health care program that provides care to first responders involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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Stewart has been passionate about the program for a long time and during his remarks on Monday, he was joined by lawmakers from both parties. Among those in attendance were Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

Nadler, Maloney and King sponsored the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act of 2015 that guaranteed a health program to the first responders at 9/11. In his remarks, the former Daily Show host said “I want to congratulate Mick Mulvaney on a job well done. I don’t get to see these guys enough. So it’s always great when someone screws up their health care again and we can all get together.”

Moments later, Stewart added “It is a special kind of incompetence that takes a program that was fought for for 15 years by firefighters, police officers, first responders, veterans and survivors, that has finally come to fruition and is finally working well. It’s a special kind of incompetence to want to turn that upside down.”

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He went on to challenge Mulvaney to “come down here and look [the first responders] in the face and tell them, ‘We don’t really have any good reason for this, but we just felt like making it much more difficult for you and your family to get the health care that you need.'”

During a phone call with reporters, the administration pushed back on the notion that they’re working to change the program, The Hill reports.

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