Jon Stewart is really not impressed with Mitch McConnell's excuses on 9/11 first responders


Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart lambasted Congress in Congress last week for slow-walking funding for 9/11 first responders, and "because the situation is urgent, yesterday Jon then met with the only constituents the Republican lawmakers listen to, Fox News," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. Stewart singled out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as the main obstacle, and McConnell went on Monday's Fox & Friends to respond: Members of Congress "have a lot of things going on at the same time," he said, and "many things in Congress happen at the last minute," and Stewart appears to be "looking for some way to take offense" and shouldn't get "so bent out of shape."
Stewart popped up from underneath Colbert's desk with his own rebuttal. "Honestly, Mitch McConnell, you really want to go with the 'we'll get to it when we'll get to it' argument for the heroes of 9/11?" he asked. "Listen, senator, I know that your species isn't known for moving quickly," he added, explaining that the turtle joke was "just a little red meat for the base. But damn, senator, you're not good at this argument thing."
Stewart, it turns out, is pretty good at it, and he left McConnell with a suggestion — that he meet with 9/11 first responders tomorrow — and some food for thought: "If you're busy, I get it. Just understand the next time we have a war, or you're being robbed, or your house is on fire, and you make that desperate call for help, don't get bent out of shape if they show up at the last minute, with fewer people than you thought were going to pay attention, and don't actually put it out — just sort of leave it there, smoldering for another five years, because that's show s--t's done around here, mister. I'm sure they'll put it out for good when they feel like getting around to it." Watch below. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play