President Donald Trump on Monday signed into law a bill providing permanent financial support for first responders and survivors suffering from the effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

According to a White House statement , more than 200 first responders, survivors and family members of victims were set to join Trump in the State Dining Room for the signing.

Despite strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress, the bill had languished for months, stalled by two Republican senators Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Lee (Utah) over purported funding issues.

The holdup prompted a flurry of lobbying by 9/11 first responders backed by the fierce support of former Daily Show host Jon Stewart , a longtime advocate of their cause.

In July, Stewart appeared on Fox News and accused Paul of fiscal responsibility virtue signaling for holding up the bill over budget concerns. He noted that Paul had voted in favor of Trumps $1.5 trillion tax cut in 2017, which has added billions of dollars to the national debt.

In a tweet that same day, Paul denied he was blocking the bill and said he was simply asking for a vote on an amendment to offset the cost.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked similar legislation in 2015, reportedly as a negotiating tactic to try to lift a ban on U.S. oil exports.

The legislations eventual passage offered little solace to people like 9/11 first responder and advocate John Feal, who had his foot crushed at Ground Zero. Or New York police detective Luis Alvarez, who faced 69 rounds of chemotherapy before he died this June, shortly after testifying before Congress.

Passing this legislation theres no joy. Theres no comfort, Feal said after the bill cleared the Senate. Yes, I cried with Jon [Stewart]. But that was to exhale. That was to get 18 years of pain and suffering out.

Experts predict deaths from 9/11-related diseases will soon outnumber the nearly 3,000 killed in the attack itself, if they havent already.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that more than 10,000 survivors and first responders have developed 9/11-related cancer from inhaling toxic dust at the site , and nearly 40,000 more have developed aerodigestive disorders like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic rhinosinusitis.

We can never repay all that the 9/11 community has done for our country, Stewart said at a press conference earlier this month, after the bill passed the Senate. But we can stop penalizing them.