Congress has finally overwhelmingly passed legislation to reauthorize the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. Only two senators voted against it Tuesday – Mike Lee and Rand Paul.

Both senators offered amendments that were rejected before the final vote. Paul posted a defense of his vote on Twitter, again raising the spending concerns he brought up last week:

While I support our heroic first responders, I can’t in good conscience vote for legislation which to my dismay remains unfunded. We have a nearly trillion dollar deficit and $22 trillion in debt. Spending is out of control. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) July 23, 2019

As I have done on countless issues, including disaster relief and wall funding, I will always take a stand against borrowing more money to pay for programs rather than setting priorities and cutting waste. — Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) July 23, 2019

9/11 first responder and advocate John Feal spoke at a press conference this afternoon expressing some relief and hope that this is the end of it and the community can have peace of mind.

“What I’m going to miss the most about D.C. is nothing,” he said.

Feal credited Mitch McConnell for keeping his word before addressing the two senators who voted no:

“As for Rand Paul and Mike Lee, told you so. We whipped your asses. 97-2. When does the Senate ever get that?” he said.

You can watch Feal’s remarks above, via NY1.

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