How Jon Stewart lobbied for New York's first responders for 20 years

Brut America

Nine days after September 11, Jon Stewart began speaking up for New York's first responders.   Twenty years later, he's not done.

Transcript

00:00To see these guys these firefighters these policemen and and people from all over the country literally with buckets

00:09Rebuilding

00:12That's extraordinary

00:24The official FDNY response time to 9-eleven was five seconds

00:30Five seconds

00:33That's how long it took for FDNY for NYPD for Port Authority for EMS

00:41To respond to an urgent need from the public five seconds

00:51Hundreds died in an instant

00:55Thousands more poured in

00:57To continue to fight for their brothers and sisters

01:28You

01:35When you get sick they consider it workman's comp you can't work anymore

01:40So your health insurance suddenly is cut and the workman's comp people fight you

01:45It's work related because they say well, how can we decide that your cancers are work related?

01:57You

02:09It expired in September it's soon gonna be out of money these first responders many sick with cancers and

02:14Pulmonary disease have had to travel at their own expense to Washington DC

02:18Hundreds of times to plead for our government to do the right thing

02:21I know you left the business. How do you feel he made the right move?

02:24He's fighting for people that are sick and dying and coaching me to write

02:31How do you make it a cause these guys made a cause I'm a citizen who lived in downtown, Manhattan

02:36September 11th and saw

02:38What these guys brought?

02:40at no regard for their own safety and personal health

02:44Just to help their comrades their brothers the city. I saw what they did. I saw the stability they brought without them

02:50It would have been chaos and it is I can never repay that debt

02:54I can never repay that no matter what I'm here because I believe in these guys. I'm friendly

02:58I owe them a great debt, but these are the guys doing the work

03:01I think John Stewart would have been here lobbying and helping us walk the walls whether he was a celebrity or not and

03:08While he has a title of celebrity. He's an American before that and more people

03:15More people

03:17More celebrities should embrace and emulate what he's doing

03:27Make no mistake Ray Pfeiffer died in the line of duty

03:34Because of illness in the terrible terrorist attacks of 9-eleven

03:42But more importantly

03:44Ray Pfeiffer lived in the line of duty now and forever

03:57Sick and dying they brought themselves down here to speak

04:03To no one what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process

04:09That getting health care and benefits for 9-eleven first responders has come to behind me a

04:18Filled room of

04:209-eleven first responders and in front of me a

04:25Nearly empty Congress shameful

04:28It's an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution

04:33And you should be ashamed of yourselves for those that aren't here, but you won't be

04:39Because accountability doesn't appear to be something that occurs in

04:44This chamber you guys know the the 9-eleven first responders bill that's been languishing in Congress for years

04:51It just passed this afternoon

04:53Secures for the first responders who rushed down to those burning towers

04:57funding through

05:002092

05:09You

05:17They responded in five seconds they did their jobs with courage grace

05:28Tenacity humility

05:3318 years later do yours

05:35Thank you

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