Comedian Jon Stewart went off on Republicans on Thursday for blocking a bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits in war zones, CNN reports.
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked the bill even though an earlier version passed the Senate in an 84-14 vote. Some Republicans accused Democrats of blocking them from proposing amendments to the bill.
"So ain't this a bitch?" Stewart said Thursday at a news conference on Capitol Hill. "America's heroes, who fought our wars, outside sweating their asses off, with oxygen battling all kinds of ailments, while these motherfuckers sit in the air conditioning walled off from any of it? They don't have to hear it. They don't have to see it. They don't have to understand that these are human beings. Did you get it yet?"
"And if this is America First, then America is f**ked," he added.
Calls out Cruz, Hawley:
Stewart in an appearance on MSNBC, particularly singled out Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley after video showed them fist-bumping after the vote.
“Toomey… he's been against this all along, at least he's been a consistent dick, but that's not -- this is nothing new," Stewart said.
“And I'll say this, the most despicable part of this whole thing is watching on the Senate floor Ted Cruz fist-bumping and then patting each other on the back when they blocked this bill. Josh Hawley and Pat Toomey celebrating their victory over veterans with cancer,” he said. “Way to go, guys! You finally handed it to 'big veteran with cancer.' Well done!"
Dems irate:
Democrats also called out the GOP after the vote.
"We all share the dismay and all of this," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. "We are not going to stop until we get the job done. I don't know what we can do to convince the Republicans to do the right thing."
"This is total bullshit," New York Sen. Kristen Gillibrand said. "This is the worst form of overt politicization I've literally ever seen. This is total BS. We have the votes."
Gillibrand vowed to call a unanimous consent vote on the bill every day until it is passed.
"We had strong bipartisan support for this bill. And at the 11th hour, Senator Toomey decides that he wants to rewrite the bill," she said. "How he convinced 25 of his colleagues to change their vote, I have no idea. What the hell? How does this happen? How do you change your mind right when you're about to make a law that's gonna save lives? It makes no sense. It's an outrage and there has to be accountability."
