SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND SLAM NEW TRUMP CUTS THAT WILL DEVASTATE WORLD TRADE CENTER HEALTH PROGRAM
Trump Admin Announced HHS-Wide Layoffs, Cutting 10,000 Staff, Including Those In The 9/11 Health Care Program
The Administration Had Reinstated Staff From World Trade Center Health Program, But Firing People at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Means 9/11 Survivors Won’t Get Care They Need
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand blasted the Trump administration’s decision to slash staff that provide critical support for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), which offers medical monitoring and treatment for first responders and survivors diagnosed with 9/11-related health conditions, including many types of cancers, respiratory illnesses, and more. 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.
“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. This callous treatment of our 9/11 heroes must end and the vital workers who staff it must be rehired. President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, let me be perfectly clear: get your hands off the 9/11 workers’ health program and reverse these cuts immediately,” said Senator Schumer. “These cuts will delay and deny care for our sick first responders suffering from cancer, respiratory illness and more. It is nothing less than a complete betrayal to the memory of those we lost on 9/11 and the heroes who courageously stood up to help New York and our country during one of America’s darkest hours. Everyone should be furious and I will not stop until the staff and program is fully restored.”
“Slashing staff who are essential the operation of the World Trade Center Health Program will devastate our ability to provide sick responders and survivors with the care they need,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Earlier this year, President Trump slashed the workforce of the WTCHP, and only relented after bipartisan outcry and pressure from our brave first responders. Now, once again, President Trump is abandoning the heroes who stepped up and risked their lives in one of our nation’s darkest hours. He clearly either didn’t get the message, or worse, just does not care. It’s an outrageous betrayal of ‘never forget’ and will not rest until this un-American decision is reversed.”
This recent round of Trump firings at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services included Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the WTCHP, and nearly all staff at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). According to 9/11 health care advocates, NIOSH protects all workers from firefighters to health care workers, and many functions of the WTCHP depend on NIOSH. For example, the WTCHP staff does not have any doctors and WTCHP staff are not able to file petitions for new conditions to be covered by the program, so they rely on NIOSH staff for these functions. Without Dr. Howard and NIOSH, the WTCHP will be rendered effectively inoperable. Schumer and Gillibrand said these firings are disrespectful to 9/11 survivors and first responders everywhere and are joining 9/11 health care advocates in calling for workers’ immediate reinstatement.
This is the latest episode of chaos and cuts for the 9/11 health program following months of these callous decisions. In December 2024, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand negotiated the inclusion of permanent federal funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) into a bipartisan health package. However, the federal funding was dropped at the last minute when President Trump & Elon Musk sunk the bipartisan spending agreement. Then, in February 2025, the Trump administration slashed the workforce of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) as part of DOGE’s senseless cuts to the federal health system. In response, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, together with a bipartisan group of House members, called on the administration to reverse the cuts. The Trump administration relented and re-hired WTCHP staff. The senators said they are deeply worried about the future of the program given the Trump administration's repeated indiscriminate cutting and call on HHS to immediately reverse these recent cuts. The administration is firing key employees who do the essential work to ensure 9/11 survivors receive the care they need, leaving this program in limbo as they have for months.
According to advocates, this will impact 9/11 responders and survivors from the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Shanksville crash site, who are in all 50 states and in 434 out of 435 congressional districts.
After years of efforts and calls on the federal government, Congress established the WTCHP on a bipartisan basis in 2011 with a five-year authorization to provide medical treatment and monitoring for 9/11 responders and survivors suffering from the effects of the toxins at Ground Zero. The program covers the lifespans of all exposed, including responders and survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the Shanksville crash site, children who were in schools in downtown Manhattan on 9/11 and during clean-up, and those who have since experienced, or are expected to experience, adverse health effects that are linked to the attacks in the coming years. The program was reauthorized in 2015 and extended through 2090 with bipartisan support. In 2022, lawmakers delivered $1 billion for the WTCHP in the end-of-year spending bill, and in 2023, they secured an additional $676 million for the program.
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