JOHN FIELD, A 9/11 FIRST RESPONDER WHO WAS WORKING WITH
JON STEWART AT THIS HEARING IS
LAST WEEK.
LAST WEEK. >> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> WHAT IS THIS FIGHT ABOUT
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> THIS IS THE LAST 18 YEARS OF
OUR LIVES.
OUR LIVES. JON IN HIS TESTIMONY TOOK IN
FIVE MINCE WHAT WE’VE BEEN
SEALING FOR THE LAST 1 YEARS,
THE PAIN, AGONY, LOSS OF LIFE,
PEOPLE LOSING EVERYTHING,
HOUSES, CARS.
HOUSES, CARS. JON WAS A MASTER.
HE MASTERED HIS CRAFT IN
ARTICULATING OUR PAIN AND
SUFFERING.
SUFFERING. > WHEN WE SEE THE DELAY, YOU’RE
WORKING ON THE ISSUE, WHO IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DELAY IN
CONGRESS?
CONGRESS? >> THERE’S KNOWN FACT IT’S
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP.
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP. THAT’S NOT ME SINGLING OUT
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP.
REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP. I’VE BEEN DOING THIS LONGER THAN
ANYBODY, 2010, REPUBLICAN
LEADERSHIP, 2015, REPUBLICAN
LEADER SMP.
LEADER SMP. I’M AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLICAN
CONSERVATIVE.
CONSERVATIVE. WHEN YOU PUT TRIBALISM IN FRONT
OF HUMANITY, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. WE HAVE GONE TO OVER 1700
MEETINGS IN 15 YEARS AND MET,
EVERYBODY.
EVERYBODY. THE FACT IS IS THAT WHEN THEY
SAY THEY’RE COMPASSIONATE
TOWARDS US, THEY’RE COP
PASSIONATE TOWARDS GIVING US
FIVE YEARS, WHATEVER IS
POLITICALLY EXPEDIENT FOR THEM,
THEY’RE COMPASSIONATE.
THEY’RE COMPASSIONATE. BUT WE WANT A 71 YEAR BILL TO
COINCIDE WITH THE HEALTH CARE
BILL WE PASSED IN 2015.
WE WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE.
>> YOU DON’T WANT A FUNDING
MECHANISM THAT BRINGS YOU AND AS
WE SEE THERE SFURT AND EVERYONE
BACK EVERY SO OFTEN TO HAVE TO
DEAL WITH CONGRESS IF THE POINT
IS YOU ALL SERVED ON 9/11.
THIS IS UNDISPUTED AND THE
CONGRESS SAYS THEY WANT TO FUND
AND SUPPORT THESE 9/11 SERVICE
MEMBERS, FIRST RESPONDERS AND
VICTIMS.
VICTIMS. WHY DOES IT KEEP COMING BACK AND
FORTH.
FORTH. SENATOR SCHUMER WHO REPRESENTS
NEW YORK AS WELL AS McCONNELL’S
COUNTERPART IN THE DEMOCRATIC
PARTY, HE NAME CHECKED YOU.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
>> LEADER McCONNELL AND THE
REPUBLICANS HAVE DELAYED THIS
PROCESS AS LONG AS THEY CAN.
THEY’VE LIMITED IT.
WE ASK FORRER.
ENCE AWHILE AGO.
LET ME TELL YOU, JON STEWART AND
PARTICULARLY THE LEADERS FEEL
AND OTHERS HAVE TRIED TO KEEP
THIS AS BIPARTISAN AS POSSIBLE
BUT THEY CAN’T BECAUSE IT’S
LEADER McCONNELL AND THE
REPUBLICAN SENATE BLOCKING FULL
THE FULL NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO
RUSHED TO THE TOWERS.
>> JOHN?
>> JOHN? >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I WATCHED
THAT.
THAT. SOMETIMES I’M DISMAYED AND I
HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH
SENATOR SCHUMER PELOSI, AND
McCONNELL SHOULD GET IN A ROOM.
THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE OUR
WORSE DAY AND MAKE IT OUR FINEST
HOUR TO COME TOGETHER AND MAKE
THIS A BIPARTISAN EFFORT BUT YET
THEY CONTINUE TO PUT POLITICS IN
THE WAY.
THE WAY. IN 2015, MITCH McCONNELL HAD A
MEETING WITH THREE OF MY GUYS,
ALL SICK FROM 9/11.
WE WERE ESCORTED TO HIS OFFICE
BY FOUR GUARDS LIKE WE WERE
TERRORISTS WITH AR-15s.
THAT’S NOT COMPASSIONATE.
LET’S GET THIS OVER WITH.
DON’T GO ON SUMMER RECESS.
IF WE GO ON SUMMER RECESS ABOUT,
5 TO 800 PEOPLE WILL HAVE THEIR
FUNDS CUT.
FUNDS CUT. THESE PEOPLE ARE LOSING
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. I JUST HAD A COP SUPPOSED TO GET
$500,000 FOR AN AWARD.
HE GOT $14,000 AND HE’S ALREADY
IN DEBT.
IN DEBT. THIS IS REAL.
THE PAIN AND STRUGGLING IS REAL.
YOU CANNOT PLAY POLITICS.
WE DON’T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH IT.
WE PUT UP WITH IT IN 2010 AND
2015.
2015. THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT.
WE’RE IN THE MOOD FOR A FIGHT IF
WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE ANYMORE,
LET’S DO IT.
BUT WE COME IN PEACE UNTIL WE’RE
NOT ABLE TO HAVE PEACE ANYMORE.
>> YOU LAY IT OUT AND WHEN IT
COMES TO THE WAY MITCH McCONNELL
AND OTHER POLITICIANS DO
POLITICS IN CONGRESS, STEWART
WHO IS VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE, HIS
SHOW WAS AS GOOD AS ANY AT
SLICING THROUGH THIS STUFF.
HE POINTS OUT PART OF THE
PROBLEM IS TREATING IT LIKE A
POLITICAL FOOTBALL, BECAUSE THEY
SAY THIS IS A 9/11 THING SO WE
CAN PUT IT IN OTHER BILLS AND
GET OTHER STUFF PASSED.
McCONNELL SEEMS TO BE SAYING
THIS IS BUSINESS AS USUAL.
THIS IS HOW WE DO THINGS.
IT WILL GET DONE EVENTUALLY OUR
WAY.
WAY. WHAT STEWART AND YOU SEEM TO BE
SAYING THAT’S THE WHOLE PROBLEM
IS MITCH McCONNELL’S BUSINESS AS
USUAL.
USUAL. >> CONGRESS IS A DYSFUDGESAL
BODY.
BODY. I’M NOT SAYING ANYTHING THAT
MOST PEOPLE DON’T AGREE WITH.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO PROMISED TO
FIX YESTERDAY’S PROBLEMS MAYBE
TODAY, MAYBE TOMORROW.
WE WANT A STRAIGHT UP OR DOWN
BILL, PUT IT ON THE FLOOR SO WE
KNOW WHO IS A TRUE PATRIOT AND
WHO IS NOT.
>> ENOUGH WITH MIXING IT WITH
EVERYTHING ELSE AS YOU SAY UP OR
DOWN AND THAT’S IT.
THAT’S BEING HELD BACK.
I WANT TO PLAY A LITTLE BIT OF
SOMETHING WE REMEMBER FROM
MR. STEWART RIGHT AFTER 9/11.
BECAUSE I HAD PEOPLE WELL
OUTSIDE OF NEWS AND POLITICS
REACH OUT TO ME AFTER WATCHING
HIS TESTIMONY HERE LAST WEEK.
AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM
YOU, HE’S WALKING THE WALK AND
WORKING WITH YOU GUYS ON THIS.
LOOK AT HIM AFTER 9/11 WHEN WE
THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT DO WE DO AS A
NATION COMING OUT OF THIS.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> ANY FOOL CAN BLOW SOMETHING
UP.
UP. ANY FOOL CAN DESTROY.
BUT TO SEE THESE GUYS, THESE
FIREFIGHTERS, THESE POLICEMEN
AND PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY LITERALLY WITH BUCKETS
REBUILDING THAT, THAT IS --
THAT’S EXTRAORDINARY.
THAT’S EXTRAORDINARY. >> YOU’VE DONE THINGS MOST OF US
DON’T KNOW ABOUT.
DON’T EXPERIENCE OR HAVE THE
COURAGE FOR.
COURAGE FOR. WALK US THROUGH WHAT’S
IMPORTANT, GIVEN WHAT YOU’VE
BEEN THROUGH THAT WE TAKE FROM
THIS AS A PEOPLE, AS A NATION
AND ALSO THE RELATIONSHIP YOU
HAVE WITH HIM BECAUSE WE’LL PUT
IT ON THE SCREEN.
I MENTIONED THE EMBRACE.
YOU’VE WORKED WITH HIM A LONG
TIME, THE EMBRACE LAST WEEK.
>> TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS.
>> I’M GOING TO TRY NOT TO CRY.
JON’S BIGGEST FEAR ALL WEEK WAS
FAILING EVERYBODY THAT WAS
SITTING BEHIND HIM.
THE 9/11 HEROS, THE SURVIVORS IN
LOWER MANHATTAN, THE COMES AND
FIREFIGHTERS.
FIREFIGHTERS. WHEN WE DID EMBRACE, I SAID JON,
YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO FEAR EVER
FAILING US.
FAILING US. YOU DIDN’T FAIL US IN 2010,
2015.
2015. AND CERTAINLY NOT TODAY.
YOU KNOW, WE’RE NOT SURROGATES
FOR JON STEWART.
JON STEWART IS A SURROGATE FOR
US.
US. JOHN HAS SERVED THE 9/11
COMMUNITY AND I LIKE TO THINK
HIS PASSIONATE PLEA TO HELP
THOSE WHO IS SUFFER RESTORES
HUMANITY, NOT ONLY ACROSS OUR
COUNTRY BUT IN D.C. WHERE IT
NEEDS IT THE MOST.
>> SO THAT EMBRACE WAS YOU
TELLING HIM HE’S OKAY?
>> YEAH, AGAIN, IT WAS LIKE
WATCHING -- IT WAS WATCHING A
PERFECTION -- IT WAS GRACEFUL TO
WATCH HIM DO WHAT HE DOES AND
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER.
AND I’M BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO
WORK WITH HIM IN THE 9/11
COMMUNITY AND NOW IN THE VETERAN
COMMUNITY AND I’VE NEVER BEEN SO
HUMBLED AND BLESSED TO HAVE THAT
IN MY TOOLBOX.
I HAVE JON STEWART SUCH A GREAT
NATURAL RESOURCE, AND THE MOST
HUMBLE "A" LIST CELEBRITY I’VE
EVER MET WHERE THERE’S NO YES
MEN, THERE’S NO ENTOURAGE, AND
HE JUST CARES.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> EVERY TIME HE COMES BACK TO
D.C., HE KNOWS EVERYBODY’S NAME.
EVERYBODY WHO HAS A NICKNAME,
JON WANTED A NICKNAME.
JON WANTED TO GET EMBEDDED WITH
THE TEAMS PEP WANTED TO LEARN
THE ISSUE.
THE ISSUE. AND JUST HE JUST WOWS ME.
I’M AWED BY HIS COMPASSION.
>> YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT SERVICE
AND TALKING ABOUT LEADERSHIP AND
IT’S A REMINDER TO ALL OF US