Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Wednesday blocked a bipartisan bill that would ensure the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund never runs out of money.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Wednesday called for unanimous consent to approve the bill, but Paul questioned the bill's 70-year time frame and cited the nation's growing debt as a reason to slow spending.

"Any new spending that we are approaching, any new program that's going to have the longevity of 70, 80 years should be off set by cutting spending that's less valuable," Paul said. "We need to at the very least have this debate. I will be offering up an amendment if this bill should come to the floor, but until then, I will object."

"Enough of the political games," Gillibrand said. "Our 9/11 first responders and our entire nation are watching to see if this body actually cares."

One of the most vocal supporters of the compensation fund is former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart.

He blasted Senator Paul during an interview on Fox News.

"What Rand Paul did today on the Senate was outrageous. He's a guy that put us in hundreds of billions of dollars in debt. He was the 51st vote on that cut. And now he's gonna tell us that a billion dollars a year over ten years is just too much for us to handle," Stewart said.

Stewart famously testified before Congress last month on behalf of first responders.

At the time, he called lawmakers' inaction an "embarrassment to the country".

The bill cleared the House in a 402-12 vote last week. 

Earlier this year, the fund announced it was running out of money and planned to cut future payments by up to 70-percent.