Backers Urge Passage of 9/11 First Responders’ Bill by Christmas

With Christmas just days away, the lame-duck Congress has been working around the clock to get promised pieces of legislation pushed through. But one notable bill that hasn’t been checked off the to-do list is the 9/11 First Responders’ Bill. If passed, it would provide health care to thousands of firefighters, policemen and emergency workers who suffer health problems because of their work at Ground Zero. Will Congress deliver?

The bill passed the House but failed to move forward on the Senate floor last week. With some renewed public momentum, potentially helped along by Jon Stewart, today it’s back for another vote. We speak with Kenny Specht, retired firefighter with F.D.N.Y. Ladder Company 133, as well as a 9/11 first responder. We also speak with Takeaway Washington Correspondent Todd Zwillich about the bill’s likelihood of passage in the Senate.