Trump Administration Cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program
Since even before the Trump Administration took office, it has been working against the interests of thousands of injured 9/11 responders and survivors. Just last December, Elon Musk and then President-Elect Trump effectively killed the provision in the Continuing Resolution passed in December—legislation that had been agreed to by the bipartisan House and Senate negotiators to fix the upcoming deficit in the WTC Health Program (a deficit which will result in more cuts to services later in the current Trump Administration).
The following is the experience that the World Trade Center Health Program has had with the Trump Administration under Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy.
February 2025: Trump Administration cuts thousands of Probationary Employees, WTCHP staff among them
On February 14, 2025, the day after Secretary Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate, HHS fired thousands of “Probationary Employees” of the Department of Health and Human Services and pushed thousands of others to resign in a supposed “buyout.”
This ended up causing the World Trade Center Health Program to lose over 20% of its staff. From a program that had 93 staff positions filled, to one with less than 73. This included 16 probationary staff that had been fired, as well as 5 other staff who took the administration’s “buyout.”
This cut in staff was just after the WTC Health Program planned to increase its staff to 138 positions to better manage the program, which just last year increased in size by over 10,000 new members.
In addition, through the “buyout,” the program lost the medical benefits team leader and the program’s Director of Research.
The impact of these job cuts would have been felt in the weeks and months to come: delays in decisions on certifications to allow for treatment of new cancers; delays in the enrollment of new responders and survivors who have been diagnosed with cancer; delays in decisions on the pending petitions such as whether to include autoimmune, cardiac conditions, dementia and cognitive decline and other conditions that were supposed to be announced in March of 2025; more difficulty for the program in managing work by contractors; less ability for the program to combat fraud and abuse and improve the services to 9/11 responders and survivors; fewer staff to respond to complaints by patients and intervene when there are issues with prescriptions and treatment.
Elon Musk’s DOGE also terminated two research grants.
The first was a research grant that funds FDNY’s efforts to compare FDNY disease incidence rates with 3 other urban fire departments. The second was for the Feinstein Institute on Long Island that was also looking at cancer rates, but comparing rates between area workers in lower Manhattan and similar workers in Westchester County.
You can read about this in our statement of February 16, 2025.
Thankfully public outrage was swift, including from New York and New Jersey Republican Members of Congress. Led by Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Tom Kean (R-NJ) sent a letter calling to President Trump’s attention the impact this staff cut would have on the program’s ability to do its work.
This letter, along with the work of Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and others who have raised bipartisan concerns about these cuts in staff and the impact those cuts would have on the program’s ability to provide services to responders and survivors, pushed the administration to reverse the job and research cuts.
You can read about this further in our statement of February 21, 2025.
April 1: Secretary Kennedy and DOGE fire NIOSH Director and WTC Health Program Administrator John Howard and thousands of employees at HHS, including WTC Health Program staff and NIOSH and CDC staff that support the World Trade Center Health Program
On April 1st we learned about the Trump Administration’s huge cuts to HHS, including cuts to the staff of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), encompassing nearly all the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and including the firing of Dr. John Howard, the head of NIOSH and the Director of the World Trade Center Health Program .
The DOGE cuts eliminated nearly all NIOSH staff. This meant the effective elimination of the Firefighter Cancer Registry; the Firefighter Fatality and Investigation Program; the program that certifies all respirators that protect all workers (from firefighters to health care workers); the research program that prevents fatal falls on construction projects; and safety and health research to protect mine workers from black lung and other diseases, among many other worker safety and health programs.
That was bad enough, but among the staff who were terminated in addition to Dr. Howard were CDC and NIOSH staff that supported the World Trade Center Health Program. In addition, 16 WTCHP staffers were given notice that they could be fired.
There was again another immediate uproar from the 9/11 community and its supporters, who were again faced by the administration’s actions with cuts to the program and its services.
You can read more about this in our statement of April 1, 2025.
April 5: Dr. Howard was fired on April 1,and then reportedly reinstated
While the announcement by Rep. Garbarino and New York Republican Members of Congress Lawler, LaLota, and Malliotakis that Dr. Howard (who was a Trump appointee) had been reinstated was good news, and Citizens for the Extension have applauded those Members for getting this done, Dr. Howard’s status in the days following the announcement was not clear.
Even after the Republican Members stated Dr. Howard was back, HHS’ press office continued to refuse to confirm that he had been restored to his position. There are indications that his status as the Administrator of the WTCHP is not clear.
Also, there was NO action on restoring the CDC and NIOSH staff that supported the WTCHP staff.
We now know that Dr. John Howard was in fact NOT fully reinstated as Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program – and because of that, WTCHP had stopped providing treatment for new cases of cancer, and had stopped enrolling new responders and survivors.
Dr. John Howard, Director of NIOSH and the Administrator of the WTCHP, apparently was not properly reinstated as Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program, as tHHS told the Republican Members of Congress.
While Rep. Garbarino (R-NY) and colleagues were told by HHS that Howard was being restored—which they announced in good faith—the truth is he was not restored as Director of the WTCHP, and has apparently been in limbo since then.
An internal email from the program on April 11, 2025 clearly documents that Dr. Howard’s status was in question in the immediate aftermath of his reported reinstatement that was preventing the program from properly functioning.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to resume sending program letters, including enrollment or certification letters. We are still waiting on confirmation of Dr Howard’s status.”
You can see from the internal email above that Dr. Howard was in limbo – that there was an issue with his “status” which subsequently caused a cascade of problems for 9/11 responders and survivors seeking care in April. This delayed enrollment for hundreds of responders and survivors, as well as certificates for members with new cancers and other conditions.
At the same time, the HHS press office was repeatedly unresponsive to reporters’ inquiries seeking confirmation that Dr. Howard was restored.
“Kennedy, who in February reversed the layoffs of the WTC Health Program’s probationary staffers, told ABC News Thursday that studies and staff that were cut this past week that should not have been cut will be reinstated. By Friday neither Kennedy nor his department had reinstated Howard or other department staffers whose work is essential for the WTC Health Program.
HHS deputy press secretary Emily G. Hilliard said in an emailed statement, ‘All statutorily required programs will remain intact, and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress’s statutory intent.’”
– “Trump administration cuts claim 16 jobs at World Trade Center Health Program,” Newsday, April 9, 2025.
You can read more about this in our statement of April 5, 2025.
In the midst of these attacks on the World Trade Center Health Program, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) announced that he was going to hold hearings on discredited 9/11 conspiracy theories.
You can read more about this in our statement of April 23, 2025.
April 29: Program Denies Cancer Care
On April 29, New York-area World Trade Center Health Program clinics reported that the World Trade Center Health Program had stopped approving treatment of new cases of cancer and has stopped enrolling new responders and survivors.
Here is what we learned:
Certifying WTC conditions for treatment—including cancers—had stopped.
According to Dr. David Prezant, Chief Medical Officer, Director, FDNY, as of April 29th, 2025:
“TODAY EVERYTHING CHANGED. First, the NIOSH SFTP site no longer showed approvals. Then when we called to find out the approval status we were told that no new certifications can occur. When we asked it that also applied to expedited approval for life-threatening acute conditions, we were told they too could not be approved. Not even as ‘initial approvals’ The staff person at NIOSH informed us that they can no longer approve any new certification requests even if they are expedited urgent requests for certification.
THIS MEANS THAT THREE PATIENTS TODAY COULD NOT BE CERTIFIED. One of these patients has life-threatening pancreatic cancer and we cannot authorize treatment because he is enrolled in the WTC Health Program but that program is refusing to certify him.”
The program had ceased certifying conditions for treatment because it lacked the authority to issue a certification without Dr. Howard being confirmed as head of the program (see internal email).
Under the Zadroga statute, before a WTCHP-affiliated clinic or the National Program can treat a responder or survivor for a cancer or any covered condition, the clinic doctor must request a “certification” from WTCHP in Washington. The program cannot provide that certification without an Administrator in place. While treatment can proceed “pending certification”, that can only happen for a short period of time. That time window had apparently closed, resulting in the determination that the program would no longer approve treatment for new conditions.
Between April 1 and April 28, while the program was able to provide care to those who were certified and was able to provide care on a temporary basis for new cases, the ability to formally approve care for new cases had stopped.
We know that every month on average the program certifies treatment of over 1,200 conditions, including cancer, so there weren’t any written approvals for the month for over 1,200 responders and survivors. This also would delay 9/11 responders and survivors from seeking compensation for their injuries.
Then on April 28, apparently because Dr. Howard was still in limbo, the program told its clinics and providers that they could NOT begin treating members with new conditions who were seeking treatment. We know that on that morning Dr. Prezant, as his statement above lays out, had 3 FDNY responders who had developed cancer who he was told by the program he could not provide care for.
Enrollment in the program for responders and survivors had apparently stopped as well.
9/11 responders and survivors seeking medical treatment were being denied access to care. Every month the WTCHP enrolls 700 to 800 new responders and survivors needing care. Based on what we know since April 1, no 9/11 responders or survivors had been enrolled in the program.
We know this because the WTCHP had officially informed the WTC Clinical Centers of Excellence that they could not enroll new members as there is no one to sign off on these applications.
We know all this from press reports, such as these:
9/11 health program hobbled by cuts despite Trump vow to restore funds
NY Daily News April 30, 2025
9/11 healthcare: When will World Trade Center program cuts be restored? What we know now
Rockland/Westchester Journal News, May 1, 2025
As health program stalls and certifications stop, some critically ill 9/11 responders are left without care
ABC News, May 1, 2025
So not only was the WTCHP denying care to existing 9/11 responders and survivors who need treatment after developing cancer, apparently the program had stopped enrolling new members seeking treatment and services since April 1 (perhaps as many as 800 responders and survivors).
You can read more about this in our statement of April 30, 2025.
May 1: Program restarts treating new cancers, enrolling members, approving treatments.
Following another public uproar regarding the impact Secretary Kennedy and his cuts were having on the WTCHP, we know from another internal WTCHP email indicating that enrollments and approvals for cases would begin to be processed again allowing for a resumption of the program’s work.
“We are able to resume processing enrollments, certifications, and letters at this time. Expedites have also been processed.”
— WTCHP Internal Email, May 1, 2025
We also heard from Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), who has been fighting for the program, in a statement on May 1, 2025.
“Any questions about Dr. Howard’s authorities as Administrator have been resolved — as confirmed directly with Dr. Howard himself. Now, enrollments and certifications that were left in limbo must be addressed immediately. I will continue to press for a full resolution to Dr. Howard’s status before June 2. Let me be clear: anything that jeopardizes care for 9/11 responders and survivors is indefensible.”
It seems that after the public disclosure that cancer care was being denied, responders and survivors were not being able to enroll in the program and those in the program were not receiving written confirmation of their conditions as required under the statute, Dr. Howard’s status has been resolved – but surprisingly only through June 2.
But what happens to Dr. Howard after June 2?
May 2, 2025: 16 WTCHP staff are fired.
On May 2, after they had left work, the 16 WTCP staff that had been given notice that they would be terminated– the same staff that HHS said would not be fired– were in fact fired.
Even with staffers sharing their terminations publicly, the HHS press office was denying that this was happening.
“@CBSNews got it wrong. No CDC employee was terminated on Friday. A required notice was sent to NIOSH employees, following the agreed-upon standard process with the union. Firefighter health and safety programs remain a top priority for HHS, @SecKennedy and @POTUS. As the agency continues to streamline operations, the essential services provided by NIOSH will remain fully intact and uninterrupted.“
Every NIOSH employee in Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Morgantown and Spokane who work on the WTCHP has been terminated effective immediately. They were told not to show up at work on Monday. This includes the 16 WTCHP staffers, 13 in Cincinnati and 3 in Morgantown.
Here is a copy of a redacted notice, dated May 2, 2025, that one of the program staff received.
The notices received on May 2 said it was effective April 1. They were now on administrative leave so they will not be going into the office anymore, and they will all be terminated either on July 2 for bargaining unit staff members or June 2 for management.
You can read more about this in our statement of May 3 , 2025.
When asked President Trump did stated he did not know about this.
You can read more about this in our statement of May 5, 2025.
May 6,: Fired WTCHP Staff Restored
Following yet another public uproar, the 16 WTCHP staff that were terminated on Friday May 2 received written notification that their terminations were rescinded.
This was good news—we’re glad it happened—but there were still major questions about the status of the program and its future operations and its ability to provide care to 9/11 responders and survivors.
What about Dr. John Howard, Administrator of the WTC Health Program? Was he back? For how long?
And what about the NIOSH and CDC staff who supported the WTCHP program and have been fired? Are they to be brought back as well?
You can read more about this in our statement of May 7, 2025.
Let’s recap the last few months:
- In December, the House and Senate, who had agreed to include funding to close a looming budget gap for the World Trade Center Health Program in the Continuing Resolution, withdrew that funding at the request of the incoming Trump Administration.
- On February 14, the day after Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed as HHS Secretary, he fired all probationary employees at his agency, among them 20% of the World Trade Center Health Program staff. There was an uproar, and in response Secretary Kennedy said that it was a mistake and restored the WTCHP staff.
- On April 1, HHS announced immediate layoffs of thousands of employees, including those at the CDC and NIOSH). This included Dr. John Howard, Director of NIOSH who is also, by law, Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program. Sixteen WTCHP staff were given notice of intent to be fired. (“Reduction in Force” – RIFed.) There was another uproar, and Members of Congress announced on April 5 that Dr. Howard had been reinstated.
- On April 28, when three 9/11 FDNY staff (and World Trade Center Health Program participants) were denied cancer care by the program, it was disclosed that Dr. Howard had not been fully brought back, but had been in limbo since April 5. That lack of confirmed status put the program into disarray, preventing as many as 1,200 members presenting with new conditions from being officially approved for treatment, and perhaps up to 800 responders and survivors who met program criteria were delayed care and not enrolled in the program.
- After the actions of April 28, another uproar occurred, and on May 1 it appeared that Dr. Howard was brought back officially, and he was again able to approve treatment for conditions and enroll new members—but apparently his return was only guaranteed through June 2.
- On the evening of Friday, May 2 (after they had left work), the same 16 WTCHP staff who had been given notice of intent to be RIFed on April 1 were notified they were terminated effective immediately.
- It appears from press reports that these 16 WTCHP staffers (now 15, as one retired) were being “permanently restored”.
Throughout this timeline, the HHS communications office repeatedly refused to respond to questions about Dr. Howard’s status and repeatedly asserted that the HHS reorganization was not impacting on the care of WTCHP responders or survivors.
Secretary Kennedy appeared on Laura Ingraham’s show, the Ingraham Angle, on Fox News the evening of May 5, and asserted that there were no problems with the World Trade Center Health Program. (Segment on WTCHP starts at 6:30 in the show)
Laura Ingraham (6:30): You may have seen this over the weekend New York Democrats your old friends Chuck Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand blasting what they called a cruel effort to dismantle a 9/11 health program talking about more cuts from HHS this is kind of typical they do this with Trump as well you’re stealing Christmas you’re taking the doll the dolls from the kids and the train sets because of the tariffs but now it’s cuts to those critical programs your response to them?
Secretary RFK Jr. (7:01): President Trump has not cut the 9/11 Program. We took that program and we took a lot of OSHA and there was also a lot of complaints that we ended OSHA, but we’ve just consolidated that in a new subagency called the Administration for Healthy America. Those programs were not terminated as the media has reported but they’ve simply been consolidated into a place that makes more sense.
Secretary Kennedy said: “President Trump has not cut the 9/11 Program.”
We know that was not true.
Just look at the history of the past few months:
Repeated cuts to the staff that serve the program.
Repeated impacts to program members.
We know that the program had briefly stopped providing cancer care to those coming forward with new cases to be treated.
We know that in April, perhaps 800 responders and survivors who met the program criteria to be enrolled in the program, were not enrolled, delaying their care.
We know that in April, 1,200 members presenting with new conditions did not receive their official written approval that they have a covered 9/11 condition.
While we understand new cases of cancer are getting treated, that all of those who should have been enrolled are now enrolled, and those that have been approved for care are getting written confirmation, we still don’t know why exactly this happened and what is being done to prevent it from happening again.
We know that without sufficient staff in the program, the program will have:
- Reduced capacity to process enrollments;
- Reduced capacity to process certifications;
- Loss of the ability to conduct a scientific review of requests (“petitions”) to add new patient conditions to those covered;
- Loss of medical expertise to supervise clinic care;
- Reduced staff capacity to review and approve requests for covering new types of diagnostic tests and disease treatments, which would produce needless delays in providing lifesaving services;
- Complete loss of ability to monitor and renew current and future research grants;
- Reduced ability to formulate new policies to improve efficiency and effectiveness of WTCHP operations, or to track and monitor the health care that members receive to ensure that it is of high quality;
- Loss of the ability to disseminate important 9/11-related research findings through scientific webinars and workshops;
- Reduced ability to provide benefits advice and guidance to members—especially to respond to problems with care delivery;
- Reduced ability to supervise contractors and provide oversight—increasing the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse.
The restoration of these 16 WTCHP staff was good news, but in the face of this yo-yo of administration actions, firing, rehiring, and firing, and the lack of any information on Dr Howard’s status we had a few questions for Secretary Kennedy:
- What is Dr Howard’s status? Is he fully restored, and for how long? Will he continue as WTCHP Administrator through the Trump Administration?
- If he is back, will Dr. Howard be empowered to bring the WTCHP staff head count up to the statutory OMB authorized level of 138 staff, including physicians, nurses, researchers, administrators to do the work that had previously been conducted for WTCHP from within the now-decimated National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)?
- Will the Secretary and the Trump Administration go on record supporting S. 739 (Gillibrand) and H.R. 1410 (Garbarino), which addresses the program’s long term budget issues that—if not resolved—will lead to program cuts in Fiscal year 2027, essentially the same provision that was in last December’s Continuing Resolution before it was pulled?
May 14: Secretary Kennedy Admits It Was a “Mistake” to Cut WTCHP Staff, restores 313 NIOSH staff to their positions and fully restores Dr. John Howard.
Thanks to Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), we have the first public acknowledgement from Secretary Kennedy that the cuts to the staff and the firing of Dr. John Howard at the World Trade Center Health Program were a “mistake”.
You can view Senator Kim’s questioning on the video.
You can watch the full Senate Health Education, Labor and Pension Hearing here , Senator Kim’s questioning starts at 2:23:00 in the video.
We understand that because the Secretary was going to face public scrutiny, he restored 313 positions to National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) and finally publicly stated that he had restored the 15 World Trade Center Health Program staff that were fired (one of the 16 fired staff had chosen to retire) and Dr. Howard, as well as some of the NIOSH/CDC staff that supported the program.
In addition to the WTCHP staff who were confirmed to be rehired, and NIOSH staff that supported the WTCHP program, Secretary Kennedy rehired staff who worked on the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, respiratory certifications, staff that worked on coal miner black lung disease issues and other worker safety issues.
We hope that over the last few months of chaos and disruptions to the World Trade Center Health Program, the firings, public uproar, firings, public uproar and firings followed by more public uproar, that the Secretary has learned that this program has broad bipartisan support and should be left alone and allowed to do its job of providing care to 9/11 responders and survivors who are in every State and in all but one Congressional district.
But now that the fired staff and Dr. Howard are rehired, hopefully for good, Secretary Kennedy needs to:
1. Ensure that the program staff is brought up to its full strength, as authorized by OMB, of 138, so it can do its job of providing for sick and injured 9/11 responders and survivors.
2. Lift the HHS “Communications Pause”, that prevents the program from communicating with the 9/11 community and the public at large
Citizens for the Extension wants to thank Senator Kim for confronting the Secretary at the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee meeting, as well as thank Senators Gillibrand and Schumer along with Representatives Garbarino, Lawler and LaLota and their colleagues for their tireless work to reverse these repeated misguided cuts.
You can view our May 14, 2025 statement here.
Statements from Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act
May 7, 2025
This is good news—we’re glad it’s happening—but there are still major questions about the status of the program and its future operations and its ability to provide care to 9/11 responders and survivors.
May 5, 2025
Mr. President, we would suggest that you speak to your Secretary of Health and Human Services.
May 3, 2025
Statement on the Termination of 16 World Trade Center Health Program Staff
Given all of this and the fact that the HHS press office continually refuses to answer questions about Dr. Howard’s status and continues to lie and say that there are not issues with the World Trade Center Health Program, we have some questions for Secretary Kennedy.
April 30, 2025
Dr. John Howard was NOT Reinstated as Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program
While Rep. Garbarino (R-NY) and colleagues were told by HHS that Howard was being restored—and they announced that in good faith—the truth is he was not restored as Director of the WTCHP and has apparently been in limbo since then.
April 23, 2025
Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), in an interview yesterday with conservative influencer Benny Johnson trafficked in crazy conspiracy theories, asserting that Building 7 of the World Trade Center Complex was brought down via “a controlled demolition” in the aftermath of the collapse of the Twin Towers, and announced he planned to have hearings on this issue.
April 5, 2025
First, Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act wants to thank Congressman Garbarino and the New York Republican Members of Congress, Representatives Lawler, LaLota and Malliotakis for working to convince the Trump administration to reinstate Dr. Howard as the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program. They know that it is critical […]
April 1, 2025
In another example of chainsaw incompetence, the Trump Administration has fired Dr. John Howard, the Director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP)—along with hundreds of NIOSH staff who perform critical health and safety missions.
February 21, 2025
Citizens for the Extension of the of the James Zadroga Act wants to thank President Trump for the CDC’s action in rescinding the cuts to the staff of the World Trade Center Health Program and ensuring that needed research on the impact of 9/11 on responders and survivors can continue. We appreciate the swift action […]
February 16, 2025
Citizens for the Extension of the of the James Zadroga has been informed with updated information that the Trump Administration has reportedly terminated 16 probationary staff serving World Trade Center Health Program and that with the several other staff have taken the Administration’s “buy out”, the total reduction in the CDC staff that supervise and […]
Editorial Support
May 6, 2025 — NY Daily News — Betraying 9/11 survivors: WTC Health Program firings undercut promise to restore services
The promise of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore the steep cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program was a worthless lie, betraying the heroes and victims of 9/11.
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.!
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 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%.
Documents
February 19, 2025 Garbarino Letter to President Trump
April 5, 2025 Garbarino, Lawler, LaLota, Malliotakis Applaud the Restoration of Dr. Howard as WTCHP Administrator
May 2, 2025 Internal WTCHP Email
May 5, 2025 Transcript of portion of Secretary Kennedy appearance on Fox News the “Ingraham Angle”.
May 6, 2025 Redacted Notice of Rescinded Reduction in Force
May 7, 2025 Garbarino, Lawler, LaLota, Malliotakis Joint Statement on Status of World Trade Center Health Program
News Articles on Cuts to World Trade Center Health Program
May 15, 2025 — Morning Edition (NPR) — RFK Jr. stands by deep cuts to health budget during contentious hearings
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says that Elon Musk’s DOGE effort drew up the blueprint for spending cuts that are reshaping the Department of Health and Human Services — and Kennedy and his team implemented them.
May 15, 2025 — Insider NJ — Kim Calls Out Secretary Kennedy for Gutting Ground Zero Firefighters and 9/11 Survivors’ Healthcare
During his question line, Senator Kim upheld his promise to voice the anger of a fire captain in New Jersey who was diagnosed with cancer and spoke out at a recent town hall in Chatham against cuts to the program.
May 14, 2025 — The Hill — HHS reinstates fired workers responsible for coal miner health protection
U.S. District Judge Irene Berger issued a preliminary injunction halting the firings at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Coal Workers Health Surveillance Program.
May 14, 2025 — Woodworking Network — Some NIOSH workers to be reinstated
Early in the day, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA), which led a nationwide campaign to defend NIOSH called this a “crucial development after months of uncertainty” that threatened the agency’s workforce and core safety programs.
May 14, 2025 — Spectrum News NY1 — HHS Sec. Kennedy says cuts at 9/11 health program were a ‘mistake’
Advocates have warned that the wave of firings and then re-hirings at the federally funded World Trade Center Health Program have undermined patient health.
May 14, 2025 — CBS News New York — RFK Jr. grilled over cuts to HHS, including World Trade Center Health Program
Local first responders were listening in Wednesday as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled over cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, including the World Trade Center Health Program.
May 14, 2025 — NY Daily News — RFK Jr. admits ‘mistake’ in slashing 9/11 health program
RFK Jr. told Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) that firing many staffers at the World Trade Center Health Program was an error made as the incoming Trump administration sought to make deep across-the-board cuts to spending.
May 14, 2025 — Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act — Statement on Secretary Kennedy’s Testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and His Response to Senator Kim’s Question
Secretary Kennedy needs to ensure that the program staff is brought up to its full strength, as authorized by OMB, of 138, so it can do its job of providing for sick and injured 9/11 responders and survivors.
May 14, 2025 — AFL-CIO — Labor and Workplace Health and Safety Groups Sue to Restore Programs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Unions across nursing, education, mining and manufacturing industries, along with a manufacturer of personal protective equipment (PPE), today sued the Trump administration to reverse the illegal dismantling of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a component of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
May 14, 2025 — NPR — Under pressure, HHS reinstates hundreds of occupational health workers
After facing considerable pushback from labor organizations and congressional lawmakers, the Trump administration has reversed course on some of its planned layoffs at the federal health agency responsible for overseeing workplace safety.
May 14, 2025 — NBC News — HHS backtracks on firing hundreds of federal health workers
The health secretary said he brought back 328 employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including those overseeing coal miner and 9/11 screenings.
May 14, 2025 — Reuters — US health department to reverse federal layoffs of coal safety workers, senator says
Over 100 federal employees who screen coal miners for black lung disease and research other respiratory disease who had been terminated as part of sweeping government layoffs have had their jobs restored permanently, West Virginia Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito announced on Tuesday.
May 14, 2025 — New York Post — Survivors, advocates challenge Trump admin to rescue 9/11 health program: ‘We’re starting to feel forgotten’
The plea came as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to testify before a Senate committee on Wednesday, with survivors and advocates calling on the secretary of Health and Human Services to defend the life-saving program.
May 14, 2025 — CBS 6 News Albany — RFK Jr. faces scrutiny and questions in DC over dismantling of department
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to face tough questions from lawmakers today on Capitol Hill regarding President Trump’s proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year.
May 13, 2025 — Newsday — Sens. Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand plan to grill RFK Jr. over state of 9/11 health program
Gillibrand and Schumer, standing alongside a coalition of 9/11 survivors and advocates, said they also want answers about the status of Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the program, and program workers who received layoff notices in April.
May 13, 2025 — CBS News — Head of worker safety agency NIOSH restored, ahead of RFK Jr. hearing
The head of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and a handful of teams at the agency had their layoff notices rescinded Tuesday, multiple officials say, and several worker safety programs that had been eliminated by layoffs last month are being restored.
May 13 2025 — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — Ahead of Sec. Kennedy Testifying Before the Senate, Gillibrand, Schumer Demand Answers on Chaos at the World Trade Center Health Program After Kennedy and President Trump Broke Promises, Fired Workers, and Gutted the Vital Health Care of 9/11 First Responders
The press conference comes ahead of Secretary Kennedy’s appearance in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), where he is expected to be asked about his plan to honor our promise to 9/11 first responders and survivors and ensure they get the health care they are owed.
May 13, 2025 — Politico — Trump admin cancels layoffs for some health workers ahead of Kennedy hearing
The move reinstates some employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health — which lost more than 90 percent of its workforce.
May 13, 2025 — Rep. Jerry Nadler — Rep. Nadler, Goldman, Lead New York Delegation Letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy Demanding Answers Regarding the Ongoing Instability at the World Trade Center Health Program
In the letter, the Members write, “Since January, the Trump Administration has attempted to fire critical WTCHP staff at least three times. In each instance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reversed course only after facing intense public backlash.”
May 13, 2025 — Newsday — Hochul talks to us about Trump, Blakeman, NUMC, LIPA — with a pinch of SALT
Gov. Kathy Hochul is traversing New York to boast about the benefits of the new state budget and on Tuesday Long Island was the destination.
May 13, 2025 — WGRZ-TV — Senators Gillibrand & Schumer criticize World Trade Center Health Program moves
Senators Gillibrand & Schumer criticize World Trade Center Health Program moves.
May 10, 2025 — Weekend Edition (NPR) — Federal judge temporarily halts Trump’s sweeping government overhaul
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, a Clinton appointee, came after a hearing Friday in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions, nonprofits and local governments.
May 9, 2025 — New York Times — Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Plans for Mass Layoffs and Program Closures
An emergency ruling by a federal judge in California amounted to the broadest effort yet to halt the Trump administration’s overhaul of the federal government.
May 9, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — 5 state AGs ask Hudson Valley residents: How have Trump cuts and policies hurt you?
On a night that was mostly testimony, some pep rally and that featured one accusation of corruption, five states’ attorneys general heard from medical providers, educators, and others concerned about Trump-era actions.
May 7, 2025 — Rep. Mike Lawler — Lawler, Garbarino, LaLota, and Malliotakis Release Joint Statement on Status of World Trade Center Health Program
“After extensive conversations with the Administration, HHS has said that it is reinstating all 15 WTCHP workers and that Dr. Howard is fully empowered as program Administrator. While we appreciate this development, their employment should have never been in question.”
May 7, 2025 — NY Daily News — 9/11 health workers rehired after outcry forced Trump to reverse cuts
Almost all of the estimated 16 fired World Trade Center Health Program workers have been told this week they are being reinstated, following weeks of uncertainty over the draconian cuts by the White House and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
May 6, 2025 — Fox News — Trump admin reinstates 9/11 survivors program staff following HHS reorganization
The Trump administration’s Health and Human Services Department (HHS) sent out reinstatement notices to staff members who were part of a federal healthcare program for 9/11 survivors, following a reduction in force at HHS.
May 6, 2025 — NY Daily News — Betraying 9/11 survivors: WTC Health Program firings undercut promise to restore services
The promise of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore the steep cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program was a worthless lie, betraying the heroes and victims of 9/11.
May 5, 2025 — Spectrum News NY1 — ‘Chaos’: Latest cuts at World Trade Center Health Program spark new fears patient care will suffer
Cuts are sparking new fears that patient care will suffer, interrupting or delaying the treatments some enrollees desperately need as they battle ailments caused by the toxic chemicals unleashed by the collapse of the Twin Towers.
May 5, 2025 — Bloomberg Law — RFK Jr.’s HHS Faces Multi-State Suit for Federal Health Cuts
New York, Michigan, Arizona, and others argue the Trump administration has “systematically deprived HHS of the resources necessary to do its job.”
May 5, 2025 — Fox News — ‘Data Chaos’: Secretary Kennedy defends database on ‘existential disease’
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. weighs in on President Donald Trump banning China’s gain-of-function research and defends ‘dialing back’ health agencies on ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
May 5, 2025 — News10 ABC Albany — NY leads lawsuit over RFK’s HHS cuts
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday filed suit to block the April cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She argued the cuts cripple testing, care, and services that Congress funds by law.
May 5, 2025 — MSNBC — ‘He’s being disingenuous, he’s lying’: 9/11 responder slams Trump
The World Trade Center Health Program says 16 staffers were fired Friday night as part of cuts by the Trump administration. Former Ground Zero demolition worker and President of the FealGood Foundation John Feal joins Chris Jansing to share his reaction to the move.
May 5, 2025 — New York Attorney General Letitia James — Attorney General James Sues to Block Trump Administration’s Dangerous Dismantling of Health and Human Services Department
New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 19 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s unconstitutional dismantling of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
May 5, 2025 — Forbes Breaking News — Trump Asked About Recent Layoffs At World Trade Center Health Program For 9/11 First Responders
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, President Trump was asked about recent layoffs at the World Trade Center Health Program.
May 5, 2025 — FireRescue1 — N.Y. advocacy group, senators condemn 9/11 health program firings
Federal lawmakers are calling the move to fire 16 staff members a betrayal of those who risked their lives in the aftermath of 9/11.
May 5, 2025 — BK Reader — Trump Continues to Gut 9/11 Health Fund
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand on Sunday said as the Trump administration keeps gutting the World Trade Center Health Program, their Republican counterparts should leverage their budget vote to end the continuous cuts to the crucial health program for thousands of New Yorkers.
May 5, 2025 — NBC5 Burlington — Federal health program to support 9/11 survivors and first responders at risk
After the Trump administration authorized probationary layoffs and cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services, doctors and scientists who help evaluate and treat people through this program have lost their jobs.
May 4, 2025 — New York Post — Schumer, Gillibrand slam Trump and RFK Jr. over cut 9/11 program: ‘Political chaos is jeopardizing healthcare of heroes’
New York Dem Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand on Sunday blasted what they called a “cruel” effort by President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to dismantle the World Trade Center Health Program.
May 4, 2025 — Sen. Chuck Schumer — Schumer, Gillibrand: Trump & RFK Just Fired Another 16 Health Program Docs & Scientists, Stunting World Trade Center Health Program; Senators Demand NY GOP Members of Congress Use Their Budget Vote as Leverage to End the Chaos; Political Games Jeopardizing Healthcare of Heroes
U.S. Senator Schumer alongside U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the Trump administration is at it again: attacking the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP). Yesterday, President Trump and RFK fired an additional 16 medical staff who help keep the WTCHP program alive at NIOSH.
May 4, 2025 — amNY — ‘Outrageous betrayal’: NY senators seethe as Trump admin slashes 9/11 health program staffing
“This is MAGA extremism, pure and simple,” Schumer said, blasting the cuts as a politically motivated assault that harms those who risked everything in the wake of the attacks.
May 4, 2025 — NY Daily News — NY Sens. Schumer, Gillibrand call for GOP lawmakers to step up after Trump layoffs threaten 9/11 health program
Friday’s mass layoffs at NIOSH became the latest blow to the World Trade Center Health Program, which is caught in a back-and-forth funding drama as Trump and Heath and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. take a buzzsaw to key health and research programs.
May 4, 2025 — Newsday — 9/11 health care program: 16 more workers fired by Trump administration, Schumer says
The Trump administration has fired another 16 workers from a health agency that helps people exposed to toxic air during 9/11 and its aftermath, Sen. Chuck Schumer said on Sunday.
May 4, 2025 — Daily Kos — RFK Jr.’s Friday night massacre aims to Give Americans Black Lung Again
The mission to “Make America Healthy Again” may soon be derailed by soaring incidents of cancer, rare diseases, and workplace tragedy.
May 3, 2025 — CBS News — Worker safety agency NIOSH lays off most remaining staff
Nearly all of the remaining staff at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health were laid off Friday, multiple officials and laid-off employees told CBS News, gutting programs ranging from approvals of new safety equipment to firefighter health.
May 2, 2025 — KFF Health News — In Reversal, FDA Rehires Staff Tasked With Releasing Public Records
The FDA has rehired at least some workers tasked with releasing public records generated by the agency’s regulatory activities, two employees said. The recall reverses firings carried out roughly a month ago by the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the agency.
May 2, 2025 — The Week — Sick 9/11 responders are being left behind amid federal spending battle
Services have been cut and restored following outcry, but staffing issues remain.
May 2, 2025 — Newsday — Promises broken by Trump on health care for 9/11 responders
David Prezant, the director and chief medical officer of the FDNY’s WTC Health Program, reported that on Wednesday alone, he was unable to certify or authorize treatment for three patients — one of whom has life-threatening pancreatic cancer.
May 2, 2025 — Fox 5 New York — Advocates say 9/11 illness care still in crisis despite restored funds
DOGE cut 20% of the staff last year, and advocates say many of those positions have yet to be filled, leaving sick responders facing long delays for appointments.
May 2, 2025 — ABC News — 9/11 health care program restores cancer treatment certifications amid weeks of uncertainty
Certification is the process by which the federal program confirms that a 9/11-related illnesses qualify for treatment or compensation.
May 1, 2025 — NY Daily News — World Trade Center health program resumes treatments after outcry
A Department of Health and Human Services official informed doctors and administrators in the World Trade Center Health Program that all services could resume, according to an email obtained by the News.
May 1, 2025 — CBS News New York — World Trade Center Health Program’s status remains in the dark, leaving many 9/11 first responders in limbo
Advocates say many 9/11 first responders are currently in limbo, waiting for life-saving care.
May 1, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — 9/11 healthcare: When will World Trade Center program cuts be restored? What we know now
The issue is directly linked to the absence of Dr. John Howard, who had led the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health as well as the 9/11 health program.
May 1, 2025 — ABC News — As health program stalls and certifications stop, some critically ill 9/11 responders are left without care
The World Trade Center Health Program is at a standstill, an FDNY official said.
May 1, 2025 — ABC News — 9/11 health program turning away critically ill first responders
The World Trade Center Health Program can no longer certify illnesses, enroll new members or approve life-saving treatments like chemotherapy or lung transplants.
April 30, 2025 — PIX 11 — 9/11 community faces challenges accessing WTC Health Program due to cuts
John Feal, of the FealGood Foundation, told PIX11 News, “The lead doctor at the FDNY had to turn away three firefighters with cancer.”
April 30, 2025 — Newsday — Advocates lament status of rehired World Trade Center Health Program leader
Advocates for the World Trade Center Health Program are raising alarms that the agency’s leader — Dr. John Howard — has yet to be reinstated nearly a month after the White House assured lawmakers he would be restored following a blitz of cuts.
April 30, 2025 — Rockland/Westchester Journal News — World Trade Center Health Program: Do Trump cuts imperil sickened responders? What we know
People who work with the 9/11 community say the program, and the people who need it, have not escaped unscathed.
April 30, 2025 — NY Daily News — 9/11 health program hobbled by cuts despite Trump vow to restore funds
Dr. John Howard, director the World Trade Center Health Program, remains in bureaucratic limbo and has not been formally reinstated to his post as promised.
April 30, 2025 — ABC News — ‘We’re all ticking time bombs’: Budget cuts gut 9/11 health protections as community braces for crisis
Staffing cuts may prevent a 9/11 health care program from providing timely care.
April 21, 2025 — ProPublica — Trump Laid Off Nearly All the Federal Workers Who Investigate Firefighter Deaths
The cuts, which are part of Trump’s slashing of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, will also halt a first-of-its-kind study of the causes of thousands of firefighters’ cancer cases.
April 21, 2025 — The City — Anxiety Is Side Effect of Staffing Cuts at Sept. 11 Health Program
Mayor Eric Adams has been slow to criticize the moves of the Trump administration, which have 9/11 survivors and first-responders on edge.
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 — 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 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 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 — 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 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 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 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 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 — 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.
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 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 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 — 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 — 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.