Obama Signs 9/11 Health Bill

A worthy interruption to his vacation: President Obama signed the 9/11 health bill Sunday from the comfort of his rental in Kailua, Hawaii. A White House staffer personally brought him a copy of the legislation to sign from D.C. so that the hard-fought legislation could be signed into law in a timely fashion. The $4.2 billion bill provides health-care for workers who responded to the September 11th attacks, and reopens a compensation fund for those who were affected by the event. It was passed only after a contentious battle on Capitol Hill, in which some Republicans, led by Oklahoma’s Tom Coburn, complained that the president was creating a new entitlement program.