2015: Schweikert Voted Against Effectively Making Permanent The 9/11 First Responders Health Care Program As Part Of The 2016 Omnibus And Tax Extender Bill. In December 2015, Schweikert voted against effectively making permanent the 9/11 first responders health care program. According to Congressional Quarterly, the legislation "reauthorize[d] a 9/11 first responders health care program and related compensation fund. The legislation would offset the costs of those and other policies with limits in federal Medicaid reimbursements for medical equipment and changes to Medicare." In addition, according to the Washington Post, "Congress voted in 2010 to create a new federal health program for police officers, firefighters, construction workers and others who worked at Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of 9/11; hundreds are suffering from cancer, respiratory illnesses and other maladies. [...] The spending bill extends the health program until 2090 and adds another five years to a separate victims compensation fund, costing a total of $8 billion." The legislation was, according to Congressional Quarterly, a FY 2016 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The vote was on a motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the bill with an amendment. The House agreed to the motion by a vote of 316 to 113. The legislation was later combined with a tax extender bill. The Senate passed the larger measure and the president signed it. [House Vote 705, 12/18/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/18/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/15/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/17/15; Congressional Quarterly, 12/16/15; Washington Post, 12/16/15; Congressional Actions, H.R. 2029]
Supporters Said Congress Had A Moral Obligation To Treat First Responders Who Became Ill And That The Bill Did So In A Fiscally Responsible Way. According to Representative Jerrold Nadler in the Congressional Record, "We have a moral obligation to treat those who became ill, and that is what this bill is all about. For 8 year, Representative Maloney and I, supported in a bipartisan basis by the New York delegation and others, have worked to bring this bill to the floor. Now it is finally time to pass it. Time and again as we moved this bill through the legislative process, we have adjusted it, reduced its size and scope, limited its cost, and made concessions to broaden the coalition and lower the cost to the taxpayers. We worked with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to reopen the Victim Compensation Fund in a responsible way in order to protect contractors from liability so they would not find they sacrificed their businesses to serve their country. We even agreed to cap attorney's fees." [Congressional Record, 9/29/10]
Comedian Jon Stewart Lobbied For The Legislation. According to Politico, "After weeks of withering criticism from comedian Jon Stewart, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell guaranteed on Friday that a health care bill for 9/11 first responders will be included in a must-pass, year-end spending deal. Stewart has barnstormed Capitol Hill and blanketed the media, including his old show this week, in an all-out lobbying campaign for the roughly $8 billion measure. [Politico, 12/11/15]