Comedian Jon Stewart humorously compared the Senate to an “assisted living facility” during a Sunday interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria about his work as an activist.
Stewart appeared on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” and discussed what he learned during his activism for military veterans affected by health problems from burn pit exposure. (RELATED: ‘How Dare I’: Jon Stewart Reflects On Intense Backlash After Promoting Lab Leak Theory On Stephen Colbert’s Show)
“All those different things doing in Washington over these past few years gave me a great understanding of how things actually get done, incrementally and sometimes in one fell swoop, but our country is held together by hundreds of really talented legislative aides,” Stewart said.
“Their bosses, many times, are windup dolls, who really don’t know, I mean half of it, if you go down there, especially the Senate is like an assisted living facility, like the intramural sports at the Senate, so, you know, it’s held together by these legislative aides that are relentlessly trying to do the right thing and by the thousands of grassroots activists who are trying to get access. And they’re blocked by a moat of lobbyists and moneyed interests.”
The veterans care bill, known as the PACT Act, drew significant media attention when Stewart criticized then-Republican Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey for holding up the legislation. Toomey attempted to add an amendment to the bill making it discretionary instead of mandatory spending to ensure the funding was put towards its intended purpose.
Stewart, known for liberal comedy and political commentary, said Toomey and Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were “rallying the forces of misinformation” alongside their “merry band of monsters” for holding up the legislation. Toomey claimed $396 billion of the PACT Act’s proposed spending could be used on causes unrelated to veterans.
Toomey’s amendment failed when it was put to a floor vote and the Senate later voted 86-11 to pass the PACT Act. The bipartisan bill was signed by President Biden in August 2022.