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Click here to view this media At least one Fox News host is willing to hold Republicans accountable for blocking a bill that would provide health benefits to 9/11 first responders. Fox News’ Shepard Smith called out Republicans by name Monday, placing individual responsibility for their successful filibuster of the bill and refusals to come on his show to talk about it. While Smith noted that they blocked the bill “in lockstep.” “We called a lot of Republicans today, who are in office at the moment,” he said. “These are the one who told us no: Sens. Alexander, Barrasso, Cornyn, Crapo, DeMint, Grassley, Kyl, McConnell, Sessions, Baucus, Gregg, and Inhofe.” In addition, Sens. Bunning, Coburn, Ensign, Graham, Hatch, and McCain failed to respond to his request at all. “I’m not really surprised, but what is your take? Why does no one want to talk about this?” Smith asked former Republican Gov. of New York George Pataki. “I can’t tell you why they didn’t come on and talk about it but I do believe that it’s important that the Senate act and I hope they act before they break,” Pataki said. House Resolution 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, would provide $7 billion in benefits to workers that responded to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Many of those workers are now experiencing health problems such as cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease. For his part, Smith seems to be the exception at Fox News, where only one other personality has gotten angry about the 9/11 first responders bill — but he neglected to mention that Republicans were the reason for its failure. “Shame, embarrassment, outrage, anger, all are proper reactions to the conduct of our Senators, who will now find one excuse after another to explain away the fact that they have turned their back on American heroes,” Peter Johnson Jr. said last week. “Heroes whose only sin was to expect nothing for their service and were then promised the world by politicians who couldn’t take enough pictures with them.” While other mainstream media outlets have yet to cover 9/11 responders during their nightly news coverage of the lame duck session, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart devoted his final show of the year to the subject. Stewart noted that the only network that fully covered the topic was Al-Jazeera. “Our networks were scooped with a sympathetic Zadroga Bill story by the same network Osama bin Laden sends his mix-tapes to!” he exclaimed. “This is insane!” ——————————————————————————————————————————– Edit: Today Shep Smith called out Tom Coburn (R-OK) for vowing to block the bill until the next session, for no real reason other than personal pique. SHEPARD SMITH: He is the man who is vowing to slow this down or block it, so that the necessary funding for the illnesses of the first responders who made it to Ground Zero to try to save lives on the day that America changed — remember? This is the Senator who is vowing to block it so that it doesn’t make it through. Sen. Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma.