9/11 First Responders Bill May Move Ahead This Week

Senate GOP's political opposition to 9/11 first responders bill draws criticism
 Senator Jon Kyl and other GOP Senators have been playing politics with the 9/11 First Responders bill, and they are losing. Republicans are fielding criticism from the left, and the right, over their opposition to a bill that would provide healthcare to patriotic Americans who became sick after working in the dust of the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 tragedy. The Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, named for James Zadroga, a 9/11 first responder who died in 2006 of respirato...

White House praises Jon Stewart for plugging bill to help 9/11 responders
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs praised television host Jon Stewart on Monday for talking about Legislation stalled in the Senate that would provide health benefits for 9/11 First Responders.  "I think he has put the awareness around this legislation, and that's good," Gibbs said of the "Daily Show" host. During his press briefing, Gibbs said he hoped Stewart could convince two GOP senators to vote to break a Filibuster of the bill. The House passed the Legislation earlier this year ...

Robert Gibbs Looks To Jon Stewart To Help Get 9/11 First Responders Bill Through
There’s been a lot of talk about comedians being too involved in politics recently and it’s all seemed rather silly. Comedians and satirists have been an essential part of running a government since the first king decided he wanted a guy in a goofy hat to hang out in his throne room. However this story, about Robert Gibbs praising Jon Stewart is sure to get a lot of tongues wagging. And it should. Just not in the way it surely will. Today in a press briefing, Robert Gibbs praised Ste...

GOP lawmakers face criticism for opposing Sept. 11 responders bill
Reporting from Washington and New York — — Congressional Republicans are coming under growing criticism for their opposition to a bill that would provide medical care for Sept. 11 attack responders and survivors, including ailing police officers and Firefighters. As advocates press for Senate approval, Republican resistance to the measure has grown increasingly untenable. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the GOP fashioned itself as the party that celebrated the heroism of the Sept. 11 ...

Did Jon Stewart Turn the Tide on the 911 First Responders Bill?
In his last show of the year, The Daily Show's Jon Stewart took Congress and the media to task for not making the Zadroga bill a priority. Named for James Zadroga, a 911 First Responder who died in 2006 of respiratory disease, the bill would create a trust fund to cover the Health Care costs of surviving police, firemen, emergency medical technicians and clean up crews who toiled for months in the wreckage of the World Trade Center. The bill passed the House but has been stalled in the Senate du...

Tuesday Open Thread
Joining in on Jon Stewart’s outrage over the failure of the 9/11 First Responders bill today was Fox News’ Shep Smith, who asked: “How do they sleep at night?” Stewart devoted his whole show last night to gravely attacking Senate Republicans for voting against the bill, which would provide Health Care to the First Responders on September 11. Shep was equally incensed: “Who’s going to hold these people’s feet to the fire? We’re able to put a 52-stor...

A senator scorned
A SENATOR SCORNED.... Quick quiz -- only one Republican senator has sided with Democrats on DADT Repeal, the tax deal, New START Cloture, and the DREAM Act in the lame-duck session. The obvious guesses would likely be Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Susan Collins (R-Maine), or Scott Brown (R-Mass.). But the truth is a little further north. One of Pres. Obama's biggest supporters in the Senate in the past week is not even a member of his own party: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Murkowski supported ...

Jon Kyl Still Making Sorry Excuses for Not Supporting First Responders Bill
It looks like Shep Smith isn't the only person on Fox News that was shamed by Jon Stewart into getting a bit tougher on these Republicans for filibustering the First Responders bill. Chris Wallace brought up Stewart's interview with First Responders to Jon Kyl, and in response we just got more sorry excuses as to why he still would not support the bill. Last week, an incensed Jon Stewart invited 9/11 First Responders to The Daily Show to offer their thoughts on this callous behavior. “Disg...

Elizabeth Bisbee Silber: The G.O.P. Naughty List
As Santa is making his list this year, he need not check it twice when deciding which U.S. Senators have been naughty, and which have been nice. In this Christmas season, during which these senators have cruelly been forced to work on the people's business and have thus missed all the "Better than Black Friday" sales, it has become clear who the Grinches are, and their hearts seem stubbornly small. First on the list of Grinchy-tricks is the Filibuster of the Zadroga Bill, which would provide h...

New York Senators Say Christmas Miracle Coming For 9/11 First Responders
ABC News’ Matthew Jaffe reports: Once the Senate wraps up work on the START Treaty, it won’t be time for the Christmas break just yet. Before lawmakers head out of town for the holidays, the Senate will take another shot at a bill that would provide health care benefits and compensation to sick First Responders of the 9/11 attacks. “We are on the verge of a Christmas miracle,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., at a Press Conference today on Capitol Hill. Gillibrand and fello

Shocker: Fox host calls out Republicans who blocked 9/11 responders bill
Stumble This! At least one Fox News host is willing to hold Republicans accountable for blocking a bill that would provide health benefits to 9/11 First Responders. FOX News' Shepard Smith called out Republicans by name Thursday, placing individual responsibility for their successful Filibuster of the bill but would not come on his show to talk about it. "We called a lot of Republicans today, who are in office at the moment," he said. "These are the one who told us no: Sens. Alexander, Barrasso...

Despite New Funding Offsets, US Chamber Of Commerce Still Opposing 9/11 First Responders Bill
Last week, ThinkProgress reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had quietly lobbied to help Republicans kill the “James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010,” a bill to compensate the First Responders and emergency workers who suffered illnesses from working at Ground Zero. The Chamber — a powerful trade association representing the health Insurance Industry, ExxonMobil, as well as dozens of foreign corporations — opposed the bill because it paid for health car...

Coburn on 9/11 bill: 'We can do this next year, and we should'
The Senate should wait until next year to pass Legislation funding healthcare for 9/11 First Responders, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Tuesday. Coburn is expected to take strides to hold up or block Legislation to assist recovery workers who flooded Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, some of whom are now suffering Health Problems as a result. "We can do this next year, and we should," Coburn said on Fox News. The Oklahoma conservative's concerns lie in th...

House GOP leaders: 9/11 first responders aid bill a massive new entitlement program
Politico: House Republican leadership is advising its members to vote against a Bipartisan bill that would, among other things, bolster medical support to Sept. 11 Victims. The James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), would provide medical monitoring to those exposed to Toxins at Ground Zero, bolster treatment at specialized centers for those afflicted by Toxins on Sept. 11 and reopen a compensation fund to provide for the economic los...

Foxs Shep Smith Calls Out Republicans Over 9/11 First Responders Bill
The 9/11 First Responders bill still hasn’t passed the Senate, Sen. John Kyl is “skeptical about that bill,” and Shepard Smith is outraged. Today, he addressed the bill again with former New York Governor George Pataki , and it’s safe to say he’s still not happy. Smith was so unhappy, in fact, that he read off a list of Republican senators the show contacted…who then declined to speak with him about the issue. There were several especially prominent names on t...

9/11 First Responders Bill: Senator Gillibrand Insists The Votes Are There
WASHINGTON — New York's two senators said Monday that the votes are there for Congress to approve a scaled-back bill providing extra benefits to emergency workers who responded to the attacks on the World Trade Center. But one of them, Charles Schumer, expressed concern that opponents might use a Filibuster to kill the bill as Congress tries to complete its business for the year this week. "If no one does undue delay – just stands up and delays and delays and delays – we will...

Gillibrand: Votes there for first responder care
A New York senator is predicting that the scaled-back costs of a bill to provide Health Care to the police and Firefighters who were first on the scene of the country's worst Terrorist Attack will win Senate passage. Democrat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Monday that trimming the cost of the First Responders' Health Care bill from $7.4 billion to $6.2 billion has addressed concerns of some of her Republican colleagues. The bill would cover the Health Care costs of those who reached the World Trad...

Senators see chance for passing 9/11 health bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A retooled bill providing medical care for Firefighters and other emergency responders to the September 11, 2001 attacks could be resurrected soon in the Senate, a few weeks after Republicans blocked the measure, backers said on Sunday. "We believe we are on a path to victory by the end of this week," said Senator Charles Schumer. But he was quick to add that unexpected obstacles could arise. He and fellow New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand outlined for ...

Senators see chance for passing 9/11 health bill
WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:08am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A retooled bill providing medical care for Firefighters and other emergency responders to the September 11, 2001 attacks could be resurrected soon in the Senate, a few weeks after Republicans blocked the measure, backers said on Sunday. "We believe we are on a path to victory by the end of this week," said Senator Charles Schumer. But he was quick to add that unexpected obstacles could arise. He and fellow New York Senator Kirste...

Senators see chance for passing 9/11 health bill
WASHINGTON | Mon Dec 20, 2010 4:08am EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A retooled bill providing medical care for Firefighters and other emergency responders to the September 11, 2001 attacks could be resurrected soon in the Senate, a few weeks after Republicans blocked the measure, backers said on Sunday. "We believe we are on a path to victory by the end of this week," said Senator Charles Schumer. But he was quick to add that unexpected obstacles could arise. He and fellow New York Senator Kirste...

Lisa Murkowski Becomes Major Obama Ally
National Journal: One of Pres. Obama’s biggest supporters in the Senate in the past week is not even a member of his own party: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Murkowski supported the president’s position on the Senate’s four biggest votes since last Wednesday. She and fellow Alaska Sen. Mark Begich (D) voted in favor of the Tax Cut Compromise and to invoke Cloture on New START Treaty, the DREAM Act and the Repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Both senators also voted...

Gibbs calls on Stewart for help
Jon Stewart’s transformation from jester to advocate has been debated all year, but many media writers noticed last week’s “Daily Show” coverage of the 9/11 First Responders bill crossed a clear line. In case anyone had any remaining doubts, Robert Gibbs called on Stewart for help, Matt Negrin reports at 44. “If there's the ability for that to sort of break through in our political environment, there's a good chance that he can help do that,” Gibbs said in h...

The Morning Plum
* New START showdown set for today: With a key Senate vote set for today on the treaty, the pressure from the White House and Military leadership on wavering GOP senators couldn't be more intense. The Military leadership is engaged in a last-ditch push to undercut the two primary GOP objections, insisting that all reasonable concerns about the treaty have been met and that it must be ratified sooner ...

Arlen Specter's Closing Argument
Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, a Veteran of several Supreme Court nomination battles and a wily Senate tactician for three decades, bid farewell to the Senate on Tuesday with a stinging critique of the state of partisan politics and the conservative demand for ideological purity in Republican politicians. Mr. Specter, who lost his state’s Democratic primary after switching from the Republican side of the aisle in 2009, did not mince words as he assailed unnamed colleagues (read Senato...

Federal spending bill marching forward
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- For the third time in a month, Congress is racing to the wire to approve a temporary spending bill to keep the government open for business. The current measure funding the government -- a so-called continuing resolution -- is set to expire Tuesday at midnight. Email Print Comment The previous extension, passed Friday, was intended to give the Senate time to work on a longer-term solution. The framework for such a deal -- one that would fund the government through Mar...