Editing Jon Stewart (section)

=== 9/11 First Responders Bill ===
{{main|James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act}}
[[File:Jon-Stewart-Opening-Statement-on-9 11-Victim-Compensation-Fund- C-SPAN.webm|thumb|left|Stewart criticizes lawmakers for their inaction on the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund, in a speech on June 11, 2019.]]

[[File:911Presser 092519 (37 of 62) (46489501124).jpg|thumb|Stewart speaking at a press conference for the 9/11 first responders in 2019]] 
Over the years, Stewart sometimes used ''The Daily Show'' to argue for causes such as the treatment of [[veteran]]s and [[Health effects arising from the September 11 attacks|9/11 first responders]]. He is credited with breaking a Senate deadlock over a bill to provide [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|health care]] and [[Social programs in the United States|benefits]] for 9/11 emergency workers; the bill passed three days after he featured a group of 9/11 responders on the show. In March 2009, he criticized a White House proposal to remove veterans from Veterans Administration rolls if they had private health insurance; the White House dropped the plan the next day.<ref name="Samuelsohn"/> In 2010, Stewart held an interview with a panel of four of the 9/11 first responders—Kenny Specht with the [[FDNY]], Chris Bowman [[NYPD]], Ken George [[United States Department of Transportation|DOT]], and Kevin Devlin, Operating Engineer of Heavy Equipment—who discussed their health problems with Stewart. In 2015, four months after leaving ''The Daily Show'', he returned to reunite the four with Specht as the only panelist healthy enough to attend. Devlin had died and the two other panelists, Bowman and George, were too ill to make it to the show.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ems1.com/ems-advocacy/articles/jon-stewart-reconvenes-panel-of-911-first-responders-VJLSkjUpBQlvXvN8/ |title=Jon Stewart reconvenes panel of 9/11 first responders |website=EMS1 |date=December 8, 2015 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928193616/https://www.ems1.com/ems-advocacy/articles/jon-stewart-reconvenes-panel-of-911-first-responders-VJLSkjUpBQlvXvN8/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cc.com/video-clips/nuwe6u |title=9/11 FIRST RESPONDERS REACT TO THE SENATE FILIBUSTER |website=[[Comedy Central]] |date=December 17, 2010 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324101742/http://www.cc.com/video-clips/nuwe6u/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-9-11-first-responders-react-to-the-senate-filibuster |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:180426-D-SW162-1390.jpg|thumb|Stewart speaking to [[United States Army|US Army]] soldiers at [[Kandahar International Airport|Kandahar Air Field]], [[Afghanistan]] in 2018]]
In February and June 2019, Stewart again went to Congress to oppose the $7.375&nbsp;billion limit in pay-outs to [[9/11 first responders]] through December 2020 and to lobby for permanent funding for the [[September 11th Victim Compensation Fund|Victims Compensation Fund]] past December 2020, delivering a tearful testimony.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jon-stewart-blasts-congress-failure-fund-9-11-victim-program-n975776 |title=Jon Stewart blasts Congress' failure to fund 9/11 victim program |last=Tsirkin |first=Julie |date=February 25, 2019 |work=[[NBC News]] |access-date=March 13, 2019 |archive-date=March 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190303175852/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/jon-stewart-blasts-congress-failure-fund-9-11-victim-program-n975776 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="9-11-CBS-June19">{{cite news |last1=Tillett |first1=Emily |last2=Segers |first2=Grace |title=Jon Stewart lashes out at hearing on 9/11 responders bill: "You should be ashamed of yourselves" |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/victim-compensation-fund-jon-stewart-lashes-out-at-house-hearing-on-911-responders-bill-you-should-be-ashamed-of/ |access-date=June 11, 2019 |work=[[CBS News]] |date=June 11, 2019 |archive-date=June 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611183605/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/victim-compensation-fund-jon-stewart-lashes-out-at-house-hearing-on-911-responders-bill-you-should-be-ashamed-of/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
{{blockquote |Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak to no one. Shameful. It's an embarrassment to the country and it's a stain on this institution. And you should be ashamed of yourselves for those that aren't here. But you won't be because accountability doesn't appear to be something that occurs in this chamber...And I'm sorry if I sound angry and undiplomatic. But I'm angry, and you should be too, and they're all angry as well and they have every justification to be that way. There is not a person here, there is not an empty chair on that stage that didn't tweet out "Never Forget the heroes of 9/11. Never forget their bravery. Never forget what they did, what they gave to this country." Well, here they are. And where are they? And it would be one thing if their callous indifference and rank hypocrisy were benign, but it's not. Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity: time. It's the one thing they're running out of.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/06/11/731706492/jon-stewart-blasts-lawmakers-in-hearing-for-sept-11-victim-compensation |title=Jon Stewart Slams Lawmakers in Hearing For Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund |website=[[NPR]] |date=June 11, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |last1=Carter |first1=Brandon |archive-date=July 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702064803/https://www.npr.org/2019/06/11/731706492/jon-stewart-blasts-lawmakers-in-hearing-for-sept-11-victim-compensation |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://nypost.com/2019/06/12/read-jon-stewarts-full-testimony-supporting-the-9-11-victims-fund/ |title=Read Jon Stewart's full testimony supporting the 9/11 victims fund |work=[[New York Post]] |date=June 12, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022102133/https://nypost.com/2019/06/12/read-jon-stewarts-full-testimony-supporting-the-9-11-victims-fund/ |url-status=live}}</ref>}}

Stewart continued to be a vocal advocate, appearing on late night shows such as ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'', ''[[The Daily Show with Trevor Noah]]'', and news programs such as ''[[Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace]]'', and ''[[Fox Report|The Fox Report with Shepherd Smith]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/16/jon-stewart-continues-to-push-congress-on-behalf-of-9-11-victims-1365861 |title=Jon Stewart continues to push Congress on behalf of 9/11 Victims |website=[[Politico]] |date=June 16, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805052931/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/16/jon-stewart-continues-to-push-congress-on-behalf-of-9-11-victims-1365861 |url-status=live}}</ref> On July 12, 2019, the House approved the bill overwhelmingly 402–12. The bill came to the Senate floor where it passed the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund through 2092, virtually funding health care for 9/11 victims and first responders for life.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/23/senate-overwhelmingly-passes-911-victim-fund-bill-97-2.html |title=Senate overwhelmingly passes 9/11 victim fund bill, 97–2 |website=[[CNBC]] |date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107232401/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/23/senate-overwhelmingly-passes-911-victim-fund-bill-97-2.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The vote was 97–2 with [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] senators [[Rand Paul]] ([[Kentucky|KY]]) and [[Mike Lee]] ([[Utah|UT]]) opposing.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsweek.com/despite-temporary-republican-roadblocks-congress-renews-9-11-victims-fund-1450712 |title=Republicans Mike Lee, Rand Paul Were Lone Senators to not Renew 9/11 Victims Fund for First Responders |website=[[Newsweek (magazine)|Newsweek]] |date=July 23, 2019 |access-date=May 26, 2020 |archive-date=September 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918183919/https://www.newsweek.com/despite-temporary-republican-roadblocks-congress-renews-9-11-victims-fund-1450712 |url-status=live}}</ref> When hearing that the bill had been passed, Stewart responded by saying, "It has been the honor of my life working with the 9/11 first responders...these families deserve better...and I will follow you wherever your next adventure shall be."<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/I2GfC5hdsGY Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20201027105246/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2GfC5hdsGY&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2GfC5hdsGY|title=Jon Stewart: 9/11 work 'has been the honor of my life'|date=July 23, 2019 |via=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>