"The American people need to know that money is being used effectively because frankly, the nation can't afford careless spending, no matter how well-intentioned," Enzi wrote.

The op-ed led Manhattan Reps. Jerry Nadler and Carolyn Maloney to pen a point-by-point rebuttal of Enzi's missive.

"This bill is anything but careless spending," they write. "It does not add a dime to the deficit and is fully paid for by closing a tax loophole that allows foreign multinational corporations to funnel revenue through third-party countries in order to reduce the U.S. taxes they owe."

Although the bill failed in the Senate, advocates are hoping to tack it on to the tax cut bill. No word out of Washington yet about the likelihood of that approach.

Now Jon Stewart has weighed in, saying that if Republicans don't fund a bill to help 9/11 first responders, then they may need to cease using 9/11 for political pandering.

Take a look: