had signed a pledge to filibuster all bills until the Bush tax cuts were renewed and the government was appropriately funded for the next several months. With only 57 votes to end the Senate filibuster and an incoming influx of Republicans in the wake of the 2010 Congressional Elections, the bill's future looked increasingly doubtful towards the end of 2010. On December 16, 2010, comedian Jon Stewart dedicated an entire episode of The Daily Show to the political battle over the Zadroga Act. Guests included four 9/11 first responders suffering from severe diseases and injuries related to their work near the WTC site. Stewart also interviewed Republican Mike Huckabee, who urged that "Every Republican should vote for this bill". Stewart also lambasted the lack of media coverage over the bill's political struggle in Congress. Stewart's coverage of the Republican filibuster raised media awareness of and public support for the bill, drawing praise from politicians and media outlets. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs acknowledged Jon Stewart's role in revitalizing support for the Zadroga Act, and The New York Times compared Jon Stewart to Edward R. Murrow, describing his coverage of the Zadroga debate as "advocacy journalism." New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg described Stewart's coverage as "one of the biggest factors that led to the final agreement". On December 19, 2010, New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a $6.2 billion version of the bill paid for in part by closing a corporate tax loophole and in part by a 2% excise tax on foreign goods that did not include countries with international procurement agreements with the U.S. On December 22, 2010, Congress approved the final bill, which allocated $4.2 billion towards the program, and President Barack Obama signed the Zadroga Act into law on January 2, 2011. This act created the World Trade Center Health Program, which replaced earlier programs (Medical Monitoring and Treatment Program and the WTC Environmental Health Center program). The World Trade Center Health Program provides treatment services and medical benefits for people who worked in response and recovery operations as well as for survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On October 1, 2015, the Zadroga Act expired. Jon Stewart went to Congress with first responders and campaigned for the act's re-authorization. It was reauthorized in December 2015 and its coverage was extended to 75 years. In February 2019, the Special Master administering the