Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart has been a longtime advocate for the 9/11 first responders, who sacrificed their health to rescue victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The cancer-causing toxins present in the air at Ground Zero created deadly illnesses that killed 15 police officers in 2018 alone, CBS News reports. In total, more than 580 people died from 9/11-related cancers, according to the CDC's stats as of September 2018.

Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010, which provides health care and financial aid to 9/11 first responders, volunteers and survivors. The law was renewed in 2015 for 90 years. However, the separate 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), which provides necessary financial support to thousands of survivors suffering from medical issues, was only funded until the end of 2020.

Following successful campaigns for the Zadroga Act, Stewart testified to Congress on Tuesday on behalf of extending the VCF. The chambers were full of 9/11 first responders suffering from serious health issues, but only five members of the House Judiciary subcommittee attended the hearing. Furious over lawmakers' apparent indifference and the constant bureaucratic battles on Capitol Hill, Stewart slammed Congress in a powerful speech.

"I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire process that getting health care and benefits for 9/11 first responders has come to," the comedian said. "Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me, a nearly empty Congress... Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak - to no one. Shameful. It is an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution."

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"You should be ashamed of yourselves for not being here," Stewart declared. "Accountability appears to not be something that occurs in this chamber. Why this bill is not unanimous consent is beyond my comprehension. More of these men and woman are going to get sick and they're going to die, and I'm awfully tired of hearing this is a 'New York issue.' Al-Qaeda didn't shout 'death to Tribeca.' They attacked America."

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After excoriating Congress for treating the legislation like a "political football" and attaching unrelated spending requests, Stewart grew extremely emotional, and appeared to choke back tears. "I'm sorry if I sound angry and undiplomatic, but I am angry, and you should be too, and they’re all angry as well," he said. "Your indifference cost these men and women their most valuable commodity: Time. It's the one thing they're running out of."

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The former Comedy Central star concluded his statement by imploring the House to take action. "They responded in five seconds," Stewart pointed out. "They did their jobs with courage, grace, tenacity, humility! 18 years later - do yours!" The 9/11 survivors present in the chambers responded with a standing ovation.

After an emotional speech made by Jon Stewart made was widely circulated, in which he advocated for healthcare for 9/11 first responders, the bill that has permanently authorized the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund has been passed out of the House Judiciary Committee unanimously.

Only Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and four subcommittee members were present for the testimony from several 9/11 first responders, as per the New York Post.

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This outraged Stewart, who stated:  It’s an embarrassment to the country and a stain on the institution and you should be ashamed of yourselves, for those who aren’t here, but you won’t be because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber."

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The bill needs to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office before it can be voted in the House. However, it is still expected to pass, as the legislation has 313 bipartisan co-sponsors. The White House has not responded on requests for comment President Trump's stance on the issue.

Nadler stated: "That five-year reauthorization was not nearly enough. People are still getting sick as diseases like cancer emerge after long latency periods. Those already sick are getting sicker, and tragically, many are dying and have died."

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As a result of the collapse of the World Trade Centre, thousands of tons of toxic debris were spread across Lower Manhattan, much of which was highly carcinogenic and harmful. A 2011 report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates that approximately 18,000 people were affected by toxic dust on September 11, 2001.

Comedian Jon Stewart was awarded a firefighter's coat worn by late 9/11 hero, Ray Pfeifer, to thank him for his contributions to the Victim Compensation Fund.

Following the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, around 80,000 people - including firefighters, police officers and emergency workers - rushed to the aid of victims. However, in doing so, they were exposed to toxic debris.

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund was thus created to provide free medical care for the first responders until 2020, but Stewart made an appearance at the House Judiciary Committee yesterday to advocate for the need to reauthorize the fund through till October 1, 2090

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The erstwhile Daily Show host spoke in front of just four subcommittee members, and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler. The subcommittee is made up of 14 members, several of whom arrived after his speech.

Expressing frustration at the poor turnout, Stewart asserted:

"Behind me a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me a nearly empty Congress. Sick and dying, they brought themselves down here to speak to no one. Shameful. It’s an embarrassment to the country and a stain on this institution and you should be ashamed of yourselves, for those who aren’t here, but you won’t be because accountability doesn’t appear to be something that occurs in this chamber."

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First responders who attended the Congressional hearing then proceeded to gift Stewart with the coat to thank him for his continued support.

Watch Stewart break down in tears at the incredible gesture:

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Ray Pfeifer served more than 27 years with the FDNY, and spent months at Ground Zero helping with the recovery effort. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, and continued to lobby at Capitol Hill for lawmakers to pass 9/11 health and compensation bills. The firefighter met Stewart in 2015, and the pair remained friends until his death, in 2017.

Pfeifer's coat was won at an auction by John Feal, a supporter of causes that help 9/11 first responders. And yesterday, retired firefighter, Kenny Specht, gave a speech explaining how Feal outbid three people in order to win the jacket, and present it to Stewart.

I believe everyone here in this hallway have learned brotherhood and camaraderie because we all have one mission," he said. "We appreciate your help Jon, and this comes from John, and this comes from everybody in this hallway."

Stewart broke down in tears after receiving the jacket. "I don’t deserve this. But I will treasure it, like I treasured Ray and our friendship. And all of you," he replied. "And we’re going to do it today. Not just for Ray. But for all you guys and the people he was fighting for."

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Per the BBC, as of September 2019, 2,000 deaths have been attributed to the terror attack.

On September 11, 2001, the Islamic terrorist group Al-Queda committed a series of terrorist attacks on America. They hijacked four passenger airliners, flying two of them into the World Trade Center in New York City, and one into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia. The fourth plane was intended for Washington D.C. but ended up crashing into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after Flight 93's courageous passengers fought back.

The attacks killed 2,996 people and injured more than 6,000 others, some of whom are still suffering today. When the first responders plunged into Ground Zero to rescue victims, they consumed cancer-causing toxins that created deadly illnesses. More than 580 first responders have died from 9/11-related cancers, as of September 2018, according to the CDC.

Watch Jon Stewart Blast Congress On 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund

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In order to help the ailing first responders', Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010. They went on to renew it for 90 years in 2015. However, the separate 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, which provides financial support to thousands of survivors suffering from medical issues, was only funded until the end of 2020.

Last week, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee on behalf the 9/11 survivors. In a powerful speech, he noted that the chambers were full of survivors, but only a few members of the subcommittee bothered to attend the hearing. Outraged by this injustice, he put Congress on blast.

"Sick and dying, [the 9/11 survivors] brought themselves down here to speak - to no one. Shameful. It is an embarrassment to the country and it is a stain on this institution," Stewart said. "It would be one thing if their callous indifference and rank hypocrisy were benign, but it’s not. Your indifference costs these men and women their most valuable commodity: time. It’s the one thing they’re running out of."

Watch Jon Stewart slam Senate Republicans on Fox News Sunday

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The emotional statement went viral, spurring the House panel to unanimously pass the VCF the next day. However, the bill still has to go through the Republican-led Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could use it as bargaining chip. Over the weekend, Stewart appeared on Fox News Sunday to plead his case for the bill, arguing that the survivors shouldn't have to continuously come "hat in hand" to beg Congress for money.

"It’s a very emotional issue I think this community is at the end of their rope. I think there is a feeling of disbelief. They can’t understand why they have to continually have to saddle up and ride down to Washington and make these appeals for something that should be simple, but somehow through politics is made agonizingly difficult."

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Following Stewart's testimony, reporters asked Senator McConnell if he supports the VCF, and he did not give a clear answer. "Gosh, I hadn’t looked at that lately," he said. "I’ll have to. We’ve always dealt with that in the past in a compassionate way, and I assume we will again." On Fox News Sunday, Stewart accused McConnell of failing to deal with this issue compassionately in the past:

"I want to make it clear. This has never been dealt with compassionately by Senator McConnell. He has always held out until very last minute, and only then under intense lobbying and public shaming has he even deigned to move on it... In 2010, he used it to make sure the Bush tax cuts would be permanent. In 2015, he took it out of the transportation bill because he wanted to extract some promises on oil imports...

Watch Jon Stewart's emotional reaction to receiving a 9/11 firefighter jacket

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"The idea that this is a state issue... It would be like after Pearl Harbor, saying that we’re not going to do anything for people in Pearl Harbor because that’s a Hawaii issue. This was an attack on America. They didn’t shout, ‘Death to Tribeca.’ To try to push this off as a New York issue — I think they do that because they believe New York is reliably liberal and Democratic and it’s not as important to them...

"Not all Republicans oppose this, but everyone who has opposed it is a Republican. It’s unacceptable. They’ve done it now for years. Senator McConnell. Lindsey Graham is the head of Judiciary. He’s the one who’s going to be the one negotiating whether it’s five or 10 years. We cannot make these individuals continue to live in the agonizing uncertainty of not knowing that these programs will be extended and that they will be able to move on with their lives."

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Afterward, McConnell responded to Stewart's accusations during a conversation with Fox and Friends. "I don’t know why he is all bent out of shape but we will take care of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund," McConnell said. "Many things in Congress happen at the last minute. We’ve never failed to address this issue and we will address it again."

When asked why so few members of the House Judiciary Committee attended the hearing, McConnell said: "Well that frequently happens because members have a lot of things going on at the same time. It sounds to me like [Stewart] is looking for some way to take offense. There is no way we won’t address this problem appropriately."

Despite treating bills for 9/11 first responders like a political football in 2010 and 2015, McConnell insisted the bill would be funded again.

Luis Alvarez, a first responder to the September 11 attacks back in 2001 who also testified before Congress, has died aged 53.

Alvarez, a police officer with New York City who also fought for the 9/11 Victim Compensation fund, died earlier this weekend after a three-year-long battle with colorectal cancer, according to the family attorney, Matthew McCauley.

"It is with peace and comfort, that the Alvarez family announce that Luis (Lou) Alvarez, our warrior, has gone home to our Good Lord in heaven today. Please remember his words, 'Please take care of yourselves and each other,'" said McCauley in a statement.

"We told him at the end that he had won this battle by the many lives he had touched by sharing his three year battle. He was at peace with that, surrounded by family. Thank you for giving us this time we have had with him, it was a blessing!"

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At the time of the attack, Alvarez spent weeks down at Ground Zero searching for survivors and was one of around 50,000 people who became ill thanks to toxins released when the towers collapsed after the attack. Earlier this month, Alvarez testified before Congress alongside Jon Stewart demanding a compensation bill for first responders.

"My message to Congress is: We have to get together and get this bill passed as quickly as possible," Alvarez said to CBS Evening News.

"I would love to be around when it happens. The government has to act like first responders, you know, put politics aside and let's get this bill done, because we did our job and the government has to do theirs. My purpose now is, regretfully, I can't throw the bomb suit on anymore and run around and do my job. As long as God gives me the time, I'll be here, advocating, because guys are dying now."

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Alvarez entered end-of-life hospice care last week, and revealed via Facebook that his liver had completely shut down thanks to his tumours, and that he did not have much time left.

"So now I'm resting and I'm at peace. I will continue to fight until the Good Lord decides it's time. I will try to do a few more interviews to keep a light on our fight for the VCF [Victim Compensation Fund] benefits we all justly deserve. Please take care of yourselves and each other," he wrote.