- Biden signed a healthcare bill expanding benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits on Wednesday.
- Biden thanked comedian Jon Stewart, who called out Republican senators who were holding up the bill.
- "What you've done, Jon, matters," the president said.
President Joe Biden thanked former "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart on Wednesday for helping to push a bill for veterans' healthcare through Congress.
"What you've done, Jon, matters, and you know it does, you should know," Biden said, adding, "we owe you big, man. We owe you big."
The comedian got a standing ovation after the president spoke.
—CSPAN (@cspan) August 10, 2022
Stewart, a long-time advocate for veterans, returned to Capitol Hill last month as debate stalled over the PACT Act, which expands benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while deployed abroad.
Initially, Republicans in the Senate blocked the bill, refusing to join Democrats while citing concerns over the costs. Stewart ripped into the holdouts, saying that GOP lawmakers "haven't met a veteran they won't screw over."
"This is corruption at its finest. And sadly, these are the people that fought and defended their right to this fuckery," Stewart told reporters on Capitol Hill in July.
After the public backlash, enough Republican senators relented and voted to pass the bill. Ultimately, 11 GOP senators — including Mitt Romney and Rand Paul — voted against the bill.
Biden signed the bill on Wednesday.
During his speech, Biden said he "wanted to come up and hang out on the Capitol steps," with Stewart, but his security detail decided against it.
"The Secret Service said I'd be a pain in the neck and wouldn't let me do it," Biden joked.