News Articles on Effort to Ensure that the World Trade Center Health Program is Fully Funded
2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025
Below are URLs to news stories on the effort to have the World Trade Center Health Program fully funded.
April 10, 2025 — Newsday — Staff cuts to World Trade Center Health Program bring anger, frustration, anxiety
Tom Wilson, a retired NYPD sergeant from Bellport, said he has watched with anger and frustration as the Trump administration has made deep staffing cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program he credits with saving his life.
April 8, 2025 — MSNBC — RFK Jr.’s HHS cuts include a slap in the face to 9/11 heroes
Recent dismissals leave in doubt the future of a program that administers health care support for those who developed 9/11-related medical issues.
April 8, 2025 — Newsday — White House must restore cuts to World Trade Center health program
Less than two months after the Trump administration first cut World Trade Center Health Program staffing, the survivors of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks again are begging for the basic care they require and deserve.
April 8, 2025 — News12 The Bronx — Sen. Schumer: 16 additional staffers fired from World Trade Center Health Program
The firings were a result of the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce.
April 7, 2025 — The Broadsheet — ‘Threeversal’ at WTC Health Program
On Saturday, the administration of President Donald Trump moved to undo last week’s dismissal of Dr. John Howard. But after Dr. Howard was fired and before the administration moved to rehire him, the Trump administration told 16 staffers at the Health Program that they were scheduled to be laid off.
April 7, 2025 — Albany Times-Union — Administrator of 9/11 health program reinstated, representative says
Following outrage from advocates and members of Congress and widespread news coverage, the Trump administration has reportedly reinstated Dr. John Howard as head of a federal health program for 9/11 first responders days after he was fired.
April 7, 2025 — Fox 5 New York — 9/11 groups protest the Trump administration’s cuts to WTC health program
After the Trump administration’s layoffs at the HHS, many roles at the World Trade Center Health Program are left unstaffed. Chuck Schumer and 9/11 families gather to protest these firings.
April 6, 2025 — PIX11 News — World Trade Center Health Program federal cuts
Lawmakers are demanding that the Trump administration restore funds to 9/11 Health Program.
April 6, 2025 — Newsday — World Trade Center Health program cuts a deep concern, Schumer and Gillibrand say
New York Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer joined advocates and labor leaders on Sunday to condemn the Trump administration’s layoffs at a health program that treats 9/11 survivors, saying the move could threaten care for first responders.
April 6, 2025 — amNY — New York senators demand Trump Administration restore ‘revolting’ cuts made to WTC Health Program for 9/11 first responders
Dozens of 9/11 first responder advocates and New York’s US senators gathered to demand the Trump Administration fully restore staffing cuts to a critical program that provides medical services for those who risked their lives at the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
April 6, 2025 — CBS New York — Fight continues to preserve the World Trade Center Health Program
Government cuts have led to layoffs at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
April 6, 2025 — CNN — ‘A huge impact on worker safety’: Protection for miners, firefighters in jeopardy after CDC cuts
Ongoing investigations to ensure the safety of lifesaving breathing equipment known as escape devices used in underground mines, in building fires and on naval ships have abruptly stopped.
April 6, 2025 — Sen. Charles Schumer — Standing With 9/11 Advocates, Schumer & Gillibrand Demand Trump Admin Fully Restore World Trade Center Health Program Staff & Stop Playing Dangerous Games; Recent Firings Jeopardize Healthcare; More Questions Than Answers; Total Chaos in Agencies Is a Dereliction of Duty to New York’s 9/11 Heroes
U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand stood with 9/11 community leaders and demanded the Trump administration fully restore key staff for the World Trade Center Health Program and stop playing dangerous games.
April 5, 2025 — NY Daily News — Feds bow to pressure, reinstate head of WTC Health Program
President Trump and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. have reinstated the head of the World Trade Center Health Program — yet 16 members of the pivotal program for 9/11 first responders and survivors still face the chopping block.
April 5, 2025 — Newsday — World Trade Center Health Program leader John Howard’s firing reversed after uproar, Rep. Andrew Garbarino says
The doctor, John Howard, is director of the World Trade Center Health Program. He was one of an estimated 10,000 employees of the Department of Health and Human Services whose jobs were eliminated by the Trump administration.
April 5, 2025 — Rep. Andrew Garbarino — Garbarino, Lawler, LaLota, Malliotakis Applaud the Restoration of Dr. Howard as WTCHP Administrator
On April 5, 2025, HHS reversed its decision, in consultation with the White House, restoring Dr. Howard as Administrator of the WTCHP.
April 4, 2025 — Newsday — Trump administration cuts claim 16 jobs at World Trade Center Health Program
Sixteen World Trade Center Health Program employees received notices that they could lose their jobs in the Health and Human Services Department’s downsizing, despite promises the program’s staff would not be reduced, a 9/11 health advocate said Friday.
April 4, 2025 — NY Daily News — Lawmakers launch bipartisan push to save 9/11 WTC program from RFK Jr. cuts
Legislators on both sides of the aisle outraged over drastic cuts to the agency that oversees the World Trade Center Health Program have fired off a letter to President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. demanding the pivotal services be restored.
April 4, 2025 — Gothamist — 9/11 responders sound alarm as Trump cuts WTC Health Program staff
Patients with medical conditions linked to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks are bracing for delays and disruptions to their care after the Trump administration fired hundreds of employees from the agency overseeing the World Trade Center Health Program, including its director.
April 4, 2025 — WSHU Public Radio — 9/11 advocates furious over cuts at WTC health program
Michael Barasch, an attorney who represents survivors of the attacks, said, “More people will die” due to the layoffs.
April 4, 2025 — Albany Times-Union — 9/11 survivors feel ‘erased’ after Trump guts health program
First responders and survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks may lose or receive delayed health care benefits from the World Trade Center Health Program after the Trump administration fired thousands of staff at the nation’s public health agencies this week.
April 4, 2025 — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — Gillibrand, Garbarino, Schumer, Jeffries, Nadler, Goldman Lead Bipartisan Push Calling On President Trump To Reverse Cuts To World Trade Center Health Program
The cuts include the dismissal of Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the WTCHP, who makes critical decisions regarding covered conditions and ensures the WTCHP complies with statutes enacted by Congress.
April 3, 2025 — Politico — Which jobs were cut at CDC? Here’s a list
The layoffs at CDC this week hit global and environmental health as well as HIV prevention programs especially hard, according to an overview document obtained by POLITICO.
April 3, 2025 — ABC News — RFK Jr. announces HHS reinstating some programs, employees cut by mistake
On the heels of terminating 10,000 jobs from the Department of Health and Human Services this week, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News some programs would soon be reinstated because they were mistakenly cut.
April 3, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — Schumer slams RFK Jr. for laying off employees who worked helping Sept. 11 responders
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has excoriated Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for laying off hundreds of employees who worked with survivors and first responders who experienced the terror attack on Sept. 11, 2001.
April 3, 2025 — The Broadsheet — World Trade Center Health Program Leader Fired, Along with Staff Who Support Operations
The fired staff include Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the Health Program, along with most of the staff of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
April 3, 2025 — PIX 11 News — Federal cuts to WTC Health Program could impact 9/11 survivors, officials warn
New York City officials are sounding the alarm after the federal government directed staff cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), an organization that supports the World Trade Center Health Program.
April 3, 2025 — Sen. Chuck Schumer — Schumer: In Letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy, Demands Answers for Broken Promises to 9/11 Families and Survivors After Again Slashing Key Staff Who Support the World Trade Center Health Program
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer yesterday demanded answers from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for his broken promises made to 9/11 first responders and survivors to protect the program.
April 3, 2025 — New York State Attorney General Letitia James — Attorney General James Denounces Trump Administration’s Latest Cuts to World Trade Center Health Program
“When our country was attacked, thousands of New Yorkers put their lives on the line to save others, and they deserve the care that we’ve fought for over these last 24 years.”
April 3, 2025 — HealthDay — Longtime Head of 9/11 Health Program Let Go Amid Federal Job Cuts
The longtime leader of a federal health program for 9/11 survivors and first responders has been fired, worrying many advocates and lawmakers.
April 3, 2025 — SILive.com — ‘Un-American’: Schumer, Gillibrand bash Trump for more cuts to 9/11 health program
Outraged, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand “blasted” President Donald Trump Wednesday for enacting new cuts to World Trade Center Health Program personnel.
April 3, 2025 — Spectrum News NY1 — ‘Gross incompetence’: 9/11 advocates warn HHS cuts undermine World Trade Center health program
The World Trade Center Health Program could be devastated by this week’s mass layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9/11 community advocates say.
April 2, 2025 — American Journal of Industrial Medicine — Exposure to the World Trade Center Disaster, Health, and Health-Related Quality of Life Nearly 20 Years After 9/11
Nearly 20 years after 9/11, WTC-exposed populations experience a high burden of health conditions that affect their wellbeing.
April 2, 2025 — Fox 5 New York — 9/11 health program cuts called ‘A death sentence’ by advocates
Advocates say the federal government is breaking a promise to those exposed to toxic dust after the attacks, and that lives will be lost without urgent intervention.
April 2, 2025 — News12 Connecticut — 9/11 first responders say they’re furious about reported staffing cuts to WTC Health Program
Dr. John Howard, the program’s director, has been fired and nearly all of his staff has been let go. Firefighter Richard Rolle credits Dr. Howard for helping him to get approved for a breathing medication he couldn’t afford.
April 2, 2025 — CBS New York — Outrage as Trump administration lays off staff at World Trade Center Health Program
Senators Kirstin Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer are blasting the cuts, saying they will impact health care for 9/11 survivors.
April 2, 2025 — Washington Post — HHS layoffs include head of the World Trade Center Health Program
John Howard, administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, lost his job under the sweeping layoffs that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered across U.S. health agencies.
April 2, 2025 — The Center Square — Legislation to extend benefits for 9/11 responders, survivors introduced
The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 would update the program’s “funding formula” to ensure it would be funded through its duration, which is set to expire in 2090.
April 2, 2025 — Healthcare Dive — ‘A cruel April Fool’s joke’: HHS layoffs characterized by confusion, errors
The HHS’ reduction in force, which agency head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered last week, began on Tuesday. It was a mess, according to many sources who worked across the large federal health department.
April 2, 2025 — Forbes Breaking News — ‘It Is Revolting’: Schumer Torches RFK Jr. After Firings At 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program
During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the Trump Administration overseeing layoffs at the World Trade Center Health Program.
April 2, 2025 — Sen. Chuck Schumer — Schumer, Gillibrand Slam New Trump Cuts That Will Devastate World Trade Center Health Program
“This is the third time in four months that Trump has pulled the rug out from 9/11 survivors and their families in the World Trade Center Health Program. These instances are not ‘mistakes,’—but rather in purpose and it is outrageous and beyond the pale.”
April 2, 2025 — USA Today — ‘Delay and deny care’ to 9/11 survivors. Trump HHS cuts World Trade Center Program staff
The cuts, advocates and New York officials said, will cripple the program’s ability to adequately monitor and provide care to survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
April 2, 2025 — NY Daily News — WTC Health Program must be saved: Firing of leader Dr. John Howard and others must be reversed
Now there’s a health program for the 9/11 responders and survivors without any doctors and with no one in charge. Way to go RFK Jr.!
April 2, 2025 — NY Daily News — Trump, RFK JR. job cuts gut World Trade Center health program, paralyze care
Tens of thousands of responders and survivors rely on the WTC Health Program to get treatment and medication and monitor injuries and illnesses caused by the toxins that swirled around Ground Zero on 9/11 and the weeks that followed.
April 2, 2025 — Newsday — Garbarino: World Trade Center Health Program administrator fired
A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino confirmed late Tuesday that Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, had been let go.
April 1, 2025 — Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act — Statement From Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act on the Trump Administration Firing of Dr. John Howard, Director of NIOSH and Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, Along With Nearly All the Staff of NIOSH
Doctor Howard needs to be rehired as NIOSH Director, and these cuts need to be restored.
April 1, 2025 — Washington Post — Widespread layoffs, purge of leadership underway at U.S. health agencies
Senior leaders across the Department of Health and Human Services were put on leave and countless other employees lost their jobs Tuesday.
April 1, 2025 — New York Times — Trump Administration Begins Layoffs at CDC, FDA and Other Health Agencies
The cuts were part of a Trump administration plan announced last week to dismiss thousands of employees and drastically overhaul the Health and Human Services Department under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
April 1, 2025 — Firefighter Close Calls — Layoffs Gut NIOSH Including Firefighter, WTC and Cancer Programs
Around 873 staff are expected to be cut from NIOSH, multiple leaders within the agency were told in recent days.
March 31, 2025 — CBS News — RFK Jr.’s layoffs expected to gut worker safety agency NIOSH, officials say
At least two-thirds of the staff at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, are expected to be laid off as part of a restructuring ordered by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
March 31, 2025 — Long Island Business News — LI congressional delegation shares what’s new in Washington
DOGE and other topics were part of a wide-ranging discussion featuring all four of the delegates at the Long Island Association’s “What’s New in Washington” breakfast at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury on Friday.
March 31, 2025 — Sen. Tim Kaine — Kaine Cosponsors Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation to Fix World Trade Center Health Program Funding Shortfall
The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 would update the program’s outdated funding formula to ensure adequate funding until the program’s expiration in 2090.
March 26, 2025 — Homeland Security Today — The Legacy of Special Agent Melissa Morrow and the Continuing Sacrifice of 9/11 First Responders
Morrow’s story is not unique. It is one thread in a tapestry of sacrifice that grows larger with each passing year.
March 25, 2025 — PsyPost — Severe exposure during 9/11 cleanup linked to early-onset dementia in responders
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has found that responders who were heavily exposed to dust and debris were significantly more likely to develop dementia before the age of 65.
March 25, 2025 — Modern Healthcare — 9/11 cancer patients say Mayo Clinic cut off their treatment
The cancer patients had been getting treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, for years through the World Trade Center Health Program.
March 14, 2025 — Newsday — Dietitian Amanda Reichardt helps 9/11 responders
A Kings Park woman whose father and uncle were 9/11 first responders has worked to improve the health and wellness of thousands of others impacted by the terrorist attacks.
March 10, 2025 — Newsday — Federal science funding: NIH critical to LI medical research
Attempts to limit NIH funding will throttle discovery, diminish the nation’s global research leadership, and hurt Long Islanders.
March 9, 2025 — Staten Island Advance — Her life was on the line as she cared for others during the worst of times
Compassionate. Smart. Fierce. Elegant. Inspiring. These are just a few words used to describe Dr. Kerry J. Kelly, a 2025 Staten Island Advance Woman of Achievement and trailblazer in the field of medicine.
March 6, 2025 — News 12 Brooklyn — Local 9/11 hero selected to lead one of Westchester County’s largest St. Patrick’s Day celebrations
Matt McCauley had just retired from the NYPD and was working as a paramedic in Mamaroneck when the first plane struck the World Trade Center.
March 6, 2025 — The Broadsheet — Trying Again: New Appropriations Measure Aims to Fund World Trade Center Health Program Through 2090
The new bill aims aimed to ensure that the WTC Health Program will have funding necessary for the next ten years.
March 6, 2025 — New York Times — Federal Workers Who Were Fired and Rehired by the Trump Administration
Even as the Trump administration continues to slash federal jobs, a number of federal agencies have begun to reverse course — reinstating some workers and pausing plans to dismiss others, sometimes within days of the firings.
March 6, 2025 — 2 News Nevada — Reno Firefighters in Washington D.C.
Reno Fire is looking to discuss key issues including improving the Public Safety Officers’ Benefit, the World Trade Center 9/11 Health Program, C-130s for the Nevada Air National Guard and Washoe County Lands Bill.
March 6, 2025 — New York Post — How DOGE is giving Trump credibility with rebellious House GOP fiscal hawks
Trump has a new ally in the usual Republican intramural sniping: the Department of Government Efficiency, whose bull-in-a-china shop approach to shrinking government is helping GOP fiscal hawks get on board.
March 3, 2025 — PIX11 — Fight for 9/11 health program funding
Advocate John Feal, the founder of the FealGood Foundation, NYPD Sgt. Tom Wilson and FDNY Lt. Michael O’Connell talk about the fight for money on PIX11 Morning News.
February 28, 2025 — Fedscoop — GSA tells agencies to terminate contracts with top-10 consulting firms
GSA acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian issued this week a memo, obtained by FedScoop, calling for the termination of contracts with top-contracted consultants.
February 28, 2025 — International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) — IAFF sets top legislative priorities for 119th Congress
While the union advocates for various bills to advance fire fighters’ interests, these bills will be the primary focus of the IAFF’s Government Affairs division lobbying efforts over the next two years.
February 27, 2025 — U.S. News & World Report — Full Speed, Then Reverse: Trump’s Biggest U-Turns So Far
From a spending freeze memo that sparked confusion to federal layoffs among critical programs, here are the biggest reversals of Trump’s second term so far.
February 26, 2025 — NY Daily News — 9/11 survivors, advocates travel to Washington in push to fully fund embattled responder health program
At the same time, 9/11 survivor John Feal has once again brought a small army of 9/11 survivors and advocates to D.C. to ensure that the bill gets the votes it needs to pass.
February 26, 2025 — Spectrum News NY1 — N.Y. lawmakers relaunch push to permanently fund 9/11 health program, one week after rescinded DOGE cuts
Congressional lawmakers are launching yet another bipartisan push for permanent funding for the health program that helps people sickened by toxic smoke and debris from the World Trade Center’s collapse.
February 26, 2025 — NY Daily News — Never forget the WTC sick: Congress must finally fully fund their health care
Having protected the WTC Health Program from Musk’s chainsaw, much more must be done to fully fund this CDC program, which will soon be facing shortfalls.
February 25, 2025 — News12 Long Island — 9/11 first responders from Long Island going to DC for funding fight
9/11 first responders from Long Island are leading the charge to secure permanent healthcare funding for those who got sick after being at Ground Zero.
February 24, 2025 — The Daily Show — Rupa Bhattacharyya – World Trade Center Health Program & DOGE’s Effect on Gov’t
Jon Stewart joins Rupa Bhattacharyya, former Special Master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, to discuss how Elon Musk’s reckless budget cuts are affecting programs like the one she used to oversee.
February 22, 2025 — The Daily Beast — Trump Admin Agrees to Restore 9/11 Health Program Funding
After overwhelming blowback from both sides of the aisle, President Donald Trump’s administration has agreed that DOGE will keep its hands off the World Trade Center Health Program.
February 21, 2025 — Gothamist — Trump administration ceases 9/11 health program cuts after backlash, NY lawmakers say
The Trump administration is expected to stop its cuts to staff and funding for a federal program that supports 9/11 survivors through medical treatment and research.
February 21, 2025 — Spectrum News NY1 — White House reverses DOGE cuts to 9/11 health program, grants
The Trump administration will reverse the layoffs it ordered at the 9/11 healthcare program for people sickened by toxic smoke and debris from the World Trade Center’s collapse.
February 21, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — Trump, CDC fully restore 9/11 health program cuts from DOGE axe
Cuts announced last week by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency were restored Thursday and Friday.
February 21, 2025 — NY Daily News — 9/11 health funding and jobs restored amid outrage over Elon Musk cuts
Funding for 9/11 health research was restored by the federal government on Friday after bipartisan outrage erupted over Elon Musk’s deep cuts.
February 21, 2025 — Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act — Statement From Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act On the Announcement by the CDC, Rescinding the Cuts to the Staff of the World Trade Center Health Program Along With Restoring Research Grants That Had Been Terminated
We appreciate the swift action by President Trump, when he became aware of the impact that these cuts by DOGE would have had on health care of injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors.
February 21, 2025 — New York Times — Trump, After G.O.P. Criticism, Reverses Cuts to 9/11 Survivors’ Program
About 20 percent of the World Trade Central Health Program’s staff had been terminated amid President Trump’s slashing of the federal work force.
February 21, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — Trump restores 9/11 research funding cut by DOGE. Will WTC health program jobs be next?
Key scientific research grants into 9/11 health issues that were cut by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency were restored by President Trump, members of Congress announced.
February 20, 2025 — CBS News New York — CDC restores 9/11-related cancer research funding after DOGE’s cancellation, officials say
The CDC has restored a $257,000 contract for 9/11-related cancer research after the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency tried to cancel it.
February 20, 2025 — Insider NJ — Congresswoman Pou Hammers Trump Admin Slashing 911 Responder Health Support
Pou represents North Arlington, New Jersey, the hometown of James Zadroga, the first NYPD officer whose death was attributed to toxic exposure from working at Ground Zero.
February 20, 2025 — CBS News New York — CDC restores 9/11-related cancer research funding after DOGE’s cancellation, officials say
The CDC has restored a $257,000 contract for 9/11-related cancer research after the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency tried to cancel it, officials say.
February 20, 2025 — FOX 5 New York — Elon Musk’s DOGE slashes 9/11 first responders’ heath program
New York leaders are calling for the immediate reversal of federal cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program, which supports 9/11 first responders.
February 20, 2025 — Newsday — Congress must fight cuts to WTC health program
The Trump administration’s broad employee cuts have slashed World Trade Center Health Program staffing by 20%.
February 20, 2025 — NJ Spotlight News — Kennedy is urged to reverse World Trade Center health cuts
The Trump administration has cut staff and instigated buyouts resulting in a 20% reduction in staff at the World Trade Center Health Program, according to reports.
February 20, 2025 — CBS News — DOGE cuts at 9/11 health program may impact first responders
Advocates for those sickened by toxins from the massive debris of 9/11 are calling on President Trump to immediately reverse cuts he made to the World Trade Center Health Program.
February 20, 2025 — NY Daily News — Elon Musk cuts to 9/11 health fund spark bipartisan outrage
Elon Musk’s deep cuts to the 9/11 health fund have sparked rare bipartisan outrage as Republicans join Democratic lawmakers in demanding they be restored.
February 19, 2025 — Rep. Andrew Garbarino — Garbarino, Northeast Republicans Urge President Trump to Protect 9/11 Health Program
The Members also expressed concerns over reports that statutorily-required WTC research grants will be impacted by recent HHS actions.
February 19, 2025 — New York Times — DOGE Cuts 9/11 Survivors’ Fund, and Republicans Join Democrats in Rebuke
A coalition of congressional Republicans rebuked the president for cuts to a program that administers aid to emergency workers and others suffering from toxins related to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
February 19, 2025 — CNN — Fired government worker: DOGE 9/11 health program cuts endanger lives
Anthony Gardner joins The Lead.
February 19, 2025 — Staten Island Advance — 9/11 Health Program suffers ’rash and counterproductive’ 20% cut in employees
About 20% of the staff was let go due to employee reductions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which runs the WTC Health Program.
February 19, 2025 — PIX 11 — Politicians demand cuts to 9/11 health program be reversed
The 9/11 health program is taking a heavy hit from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
February 19, 2025 — ABC News — Trump administration cuts to CDC will affect 9/11 responders, critics say
The firings and buyouts amount to a 20% reduction in the staff that supervises and administers the World Trade Center Health Program.
February 18, 2025 — Newsday — New York senators Schumer, Gillibrand to press Kennedy to reverse cuts to WTC health program
New York’s senators have asked for a meeting with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to demand he reverse staff cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program.
February 18, 2025 — NY Daily News — 9/11 health program staff cuts are ‘insulting,’ ‘un-American’: Schumer, Gillibrand
New York Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have already reached out to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding the cuts to the program be rescinded.
February 18, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — 9/11 health program cuts to cause ‘life and death’ delays, fired worker says
The impact is exacerbated, elected officials and fired workers say, by DOGE cuts to scientific research and last year’s scrapping of permanent funding for the WTC program by Congress.
February 18, 2025 — Newsday — New York senators Schumer, Gillibrand to press Kennedy to reverse cuts to WTC health program
Schumer and Gillibrand sent a letter Monday to Kennedy reminding him that he committed to ensuring that 9/11 first responders and survivors would continue to get the care they need.
February 18, 2025 — The Broadsheet — ‘A Serious Risk, Particularly to the Most Vulnerable’: Trump and Musk Force Out One-Fifth of Staff at World Trade Center Health Program
The administration of President Donald Trump has downsized of the staff at the World Trade Center Health Program by at least 20 percent, according to a source who is directly familiar with the situation.
February 18, 2025 — The Hill — NY Democrats demand RFK Jr. restore cuts to 9/11 survivor program
The program provides screenings, research and medications to more than 100,000 survivors diagnosed with conditions related to their service on 9/11 at no cost.
February 18, 2025 — Sen. Chuck Schumer — Schumer, Gillibrand Demand HHS Immediately Reverse Brutal Cuts to 9/11 Survivor Health Program
The senators explained the cuts will limit the program’s ability to support approximately 132,000+ 9/11 first responders and survivors and delay care and other services.
February 18, 2025 — Washington Post — Trump’s firings strike the nation’s health agencies
The nation’s health agencies were upended over the weekend by a confusing, slow-motion rollout of terminations that left staff worried about the future of various projects.
February 17, 2025 — Villages-News.com — Letter to the Editor: Trump fires World Trade Center health program staff
These cuts, which are immediate, mean that services to 137,000 9/11 responders and survivors in all 50 States and in 434 out of 435 Congressional Districts will be impacted.
February 17, 2025 — Spectrum News NY1 — ‘It lacks humanity’: 9/11 community advocates warn of staffing cuts at federal health program
As the Trump White House continues to slash the federal government, advocates say the World Trade Center Health Program has seen a staffing reduction of 20% — a combination of layoffs and buyouts.
February 16, 2025 — New York Times — Trump Fired, Then Unfired, National Nuclear Security Administration Employees. What Were Their Jobs?
The move shined a spotlight on the agency, the National Nuclear Security Administration, which few Americans likely think of often, if ever, but has a monumental responsibility.
February 16, 2025 — WUSA 9 — Military spouse who was a probationary employee at the CDC fired over the weekend
Shaw worked in the CDC’s World Trade Center Health Program under the Department of Health and Human Services. She says about 40% of that program’s staff is expected to be cut.
February 16, 2025 — Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act — Statement from Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act on the Trump Administration Cutting 20% of the CDC Staff who work at the World Trade Center Health Program and other Actions Impacting 9/11 Responders and Survivors
We cannot believe that the Trump Administration intends to harm 9/11 responders and survivors in the World Trade Center Health Program, but that will be the outcome of these cuts.
February 16, 2025 — News12 The Bronx — Advocates to fight for 9/11 first responders program targeted by Trump administration’s federal job cuts
John Feal calls the Trump administration’s federal job cuts “inhumane.”
February 15, 2025 — Neurotoxicology — World Trade Center Response Activities and Cognitive Health: A Moderated Mediation Study of the Role of Surgical/Nuisance Dust Mask Usage
Surgical/nuisance dust mask usage provided mild protection against air pollution exposures during WTC response activities when compared to not wearing a mask.
February 15, 2025 — CBS News — Thousands of probationary federal health agency workers fired by letter this weekend
Probationary workers across multiple federal health agencies in the Department of Health and Human Services received virtually identical letters informing them they would be terminated.
February 15, 2025 — Newsday — Tenth of World Trade Center Health Program fired or resigns, advocate says
The World Trade Center Health Program lost about a tenth of its staff after the Trump administration Friday fired all probationary employees at the Department of Health and Human Services.
February 15, 2025 — Senate Democrats — Leader Schumer, Gillibrand Statement On Reports Of CDC Employees, Including World Trade Center Health Program Employees, Being Laid Off By The Trump Administration
We have serious questions and grave concerns regarding potential staff reductions for the essential World Trade Center Health Program.
February 14, 2025 — CBS News — 9/11 changed this New York couple’s lives — and love — forever
Twelve hours had gone by since Sonia had last heard from her husband. Suddenly, Joe appeared at the door covered in soot.
February 14, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — CDC cuts: How will the World Trade Center Health Program be impacted?
The cuts are considered a continuation of Thursday’s firing of thousands of people at multiple agencies.
February 14, 2025 — Associated Press — HHS is losing thousands of workers under Trump administration probationary job cuts
Department of Health and Human Services officials expected most of the agency’s roughly 5,200 probationary employees to be fired Friday.
February 14, 2025 — NPR — Staff at CDC and NIH are reeling as Trump administration cuts workforce
The Trump administration is slashing about 1,300 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Staff were notified Friday of the cuts.
February 14, 2025 — The Broadsheet — The Sick List: Survivor Enrollment Outpaced Responders in Trade Center Health Program for 2024
The World Trade Center Health Program has published statistics that paint a sobering portrait of need for medical care among the population of “survivors” of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
February 9, 2025 — Daily Mail — FDNY firefighter miraculously survived both towers falling down on 9/11. After years of health issues, he took his own life
On Saturday, Tommy Dunn took his own life after years of struggling with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a direct consequence of 9/11, which also caused him to develop asthma.
February 3, 2025 — People — 2 More N.Y. Firefighters Die from 9/11-Related Illnesses
Firefighter Thomas Dunn, 53, and Battalion Chief Dennis J. Collopy, 84, died from World Trade Center-related illnesses, the Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) said.
February 3, 2025 — New York Post — FDNY loses another member to 9/11-related illness, firefighter orgs say
Thomas Dunn, a former member of Engine Company 234 in Brooklyn, died Saturday of sicknesses born out of the massive response to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
February 1, 2025 — International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health — Mortality in a cohort of WTC-exposed law-enforcement officers compared to non-WTC law-enforcement officers
We found lower overall and cause-specific mortality rates in WTC LEOs compared with both the general population and Buffalo LEOs.
January 29, 2025 — New York Post — NYC ripped over claim that ‘staffing issue’ prevents 9/11 air toxins probe: ‘Can’t believe that it’s that difficult’
DOI Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber testified that her agency is not equipped to do the “deep dive” she believes is required to investigate the potential decades-old mystery surrounding Ground Zero.
January 28, 2025 — Work-Bites — Can New York City’s DOI Pierce the 9/11 WTC Coverup?
Resolution 560 is a binding resolution that relies on an obscure provision in the New York City Charter that would empower the City Department of Investigation to obtain and review all those documents.
January 27, 2025 — The Broadsheet — Indecent Lack of Exposure
If enacted, Ms. Brewer’s proposed “binding resolution” would mark the first time the City Council has invoked the authority granted by the City Charter to direct DOI to conduct an investigation.
January 23, 2025 — Stony Brook University News — Study Provides Evidence of Amyloidosis in the Brains of Some WTC Responders
Amyloid is a protein that can form abnormal deposits in tissues and organs. These deposits can cause a condition called amyloidosis, and are associated with diseases, one of which is Alzheimer’s disease.
January 23, 2025 — CBS News New York — 9/11 first responders may be at higher risk of early-onset dementia, study finds
Researchers at Stony Brook Medicine say they’ve discovered a link between exposure at Ground Zero and the presence of amyloid in the brain.
January 15, 2025 — Newsday — Stony Brook study: Long COVID risk increases with multiple infections, vaccination status in 9/11 essential workers
People who have had multiple bouts of COVID-19 or had it severely, and those who were unvaccinated when first infected had an increased risk of developing long COVID, according to a new study.
January 14, 2025 — NY Daily News — Produce the WTC documents: Decades of hiding the truth must end
The heroes and victims of 9/11 who are suffering terrible and sometimes lethal medical problems have a right to know what City Hall knew decades ago about the environmental risks from Ground Zero.
January 13, 2025 — Good Material (Substack) — LA is Toxic, and We Need to Talk About it
The LA fires are unprecedented in their scope and destruction. The best comparison I can think of – and one I haven’t seen anyone make yet – is 9/11.
January 12, 2025 — NY Daily News — City pushes to dismiss FOIA case over 9/11 Ground Zero toxin studies
The city is trying to quash a lawsuit seeking pivotal data on the toxins that hovered over lower Manhattan following the 9/11 terror attacks, claiming it doesn’t have the important documents.
January 9, 2025 — SILive.com — ‘This is a priority of mine’: Malliotakis to discuss 9/11 health program funding with Trump this weekend
Though the program is authorized to run until 2090, the rate at which those who are contracting illnesses in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks is increasing.
January 7, 2025 — The Broadsheet — Twisting in the Wind: Eleventh-Hour Deal Scuttles Federal Funding for WTC Health Program
The looming budget shortfall means that, if nothing changes, the program will have to begin reducing services and rationing care in approximately 24 months.
January 7, 2025 — Officer.com — N.J. State Police Major Dies from 9/11-Related Cancer
Major Jeffrey A. Burke died on Dec. 31, the New Jersey State Police said in a statement.
January 3, 2025 — MedicalXPress — UK firefighters exposed to toxic smoke at Grenfell Tower fire suffer debilitating health effects, research finds
Research has found that over a quarter of surveyed firefighters who attended the Grenfell Tower fire are now suffering from long-term health disorders.
January 3, 2025 — The Chief-Leader — WTC health care funding left out of budget deal
Earlier this year, advocates warned that, without congressional intervention, the program would have to start making cuts by 2027.
January 1, 2025 — New York Post — Congress must keep the promise America made to the ailing heroes of 9/11
Starting in 2027, responders and survivors who fall ill won’t be able to enroll in the program. Cutbacks in services to those who are being treated, many for cancers, will start soon after that.