Washington (CNN) Comedian Jon Stewart said the passage of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund extension on Tuesday is "the least you can do for the best of us."

In an interview shortly after Congress approved the fund's extension, Stewart and John Feal, one of the 9/11 first responders who advocated for the bill's passage, expressed relief, saying it will provide financial help to thousands of victims.

On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill by a vote of 97-2 to fund the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund for decades, permanently compensating individuals who were injured during the 2001 terrorist attacks or the cleanup and rescue efforts. The bill had passed the House earlier this month, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign it.

"I cried. Yeah, I cried, I'm a crier," Feal told CNN's Alisyn Camerota in an exclusive interview on on Capitol Hill. "But to know that tens of thousands of people are going to get help now and that financial relief."

Stewart, who who has been a vocal advocate of the getting the bill passed before rewards diminished and the fund expired in 2020, heralded the first responders he advocated for.

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