Senate approves 9/11 victims compensation fund championed by Jon Stewart

The US Senate has approved a widely popular bill to extend the compensation fund for victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks through 2092. The express passage of the bill was blocked last week by Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), who hoped to pass an amendment offsetting the spending by cuts to other government programs. Paul and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) were the only votes against its passage on Tuesday, with 97 other senators voting in the affirmative.

The retired Daily Show host Jon Stewart led the public charge to pass the bill on Capitol Hill, admonishing members of Congress for shamefully neglecting the first responders who died or became gravely ill from exposure to toxic substances during the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC.

Over 40,000 people have applied for benefits from the $7.4 billion fund, and more than $5 billion has already been paid out, with 21,000 claims still pending. Official estimates suggest the bill would result in another $10.2 billion in payouts over the next decade.