Comedian Jon Stewart criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Sunday, saying the Republican lawmaker has never dealt with the issue of compensating 9/11 emergency responders compassionately.

"In terms of getting the 9/11 bills passed, Mitch McConnell has been the white whale on this," Stewart told Fox News Sunday, referring to the elusive whale in Moby Dick. "This has never been dealt with compassionately by Mitch McConnell."

Stewart said he was concerned that McConnell would use the extension legislation's popularity as a vehicle to pass other, less popular budget-related legislation, a tactic he accused the Senate leader of using in the past. He said it was only through "intense lobbying and public shaming" that McConnell was pressured into addressing the issue before.

The $7.4 billion fund has paid out more than $5 billion in benefits and has about 21,000 claims pending, but is scheduled to stop accepting new claims in 2020. Stewart wants the fund's "sunset" to be extended to the year 2090, making it effectively open-ended. He cited Congressional Budget Office figures to estimate that it would take $10-12 billion to fund the program over the next decade, but argued that the costs would go down quickly after that. He also noted that the average eligible responders were in their mid-50s now and that many are already suffering several health issues.

"If you want a sunset clause, it's there: death," he said.