Attempted Cuts to the Staff of the World Trade Center Health Program and Cuts to 9/11 Cancer Research
On Friday, February 14th, 2025, the Trump administration fired thousands of employees of the Department of Health and Human Services and pushed thousands of others to resigning in a supposed “buyout”.
This ended up causing the World Trade Center Health Program to lose over 20% of its staff, one in five. From a staff member that had 93 positions filled to a staff with less than 73.
This included 16 probationary staff that had been fired, as well as over 5 or more other staff who took the administration’s “buyout”.
This cut in staff was just after the WTC Health Program went thru a reorganization and 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.
Among the positions where employees were fired included.
Social Worker
Visual Information Specialist
Benefits Team Lead (nurse)
Clinical Research Team Lead (nurse)
Public health analyst research
Health communications specialist
Health communications specialist
Doc development team lead
Public affairs specialist
Enrollment specialist
In addition through the “buyout”, the program lost the medical benefits team leader and the programs Director of research and some other positions.
Here is a story from WUSA about Rachel Shaw the spouse of a Army Pilot who is one of the terminated staff.
This is what the Health and Human Services spokesperson’s, Andrew Nixon, told reporters about these cuts:
“The clinical staff of the World Trade Center Health Program were not affected. Direct patient care is still functioning, and patients are still being seen by doctors and nurses at clinics.”
While the spokesperson statement was technically accurate it was not truthful.
When you cut the Program staff, you will ultimately impact members ability to get care and to be treated for their 9/11 conditions.
The impact of these job cuts would be felt in the weeks and months to come in several ways:
- Decisions on certifications to allow for treatment of new cancers and other conditions would be delayed.
- Enrollment of new responders and survivors who have been diagnosed with cancer would be delayed.
- Decisions on the pending petitions such as whether to include auto immune, cardiac conditions, dementia and cognitive decline and other conditions that were supposed to be announced in March of 2025 would be further delayed.
- Work by the program to supervise contractors would now be more difficult and the program will be less able to combat fraud and abuse and improve the services to 9/11 responders and survivors.
- There would be fewer staff to respond to complaints by patients and intervene when there are issues with prescriptions and treatment.
This careless action and the impact it would have on services to sick and injured 9/11 responders and survivors was reminiscent of the proposal from the first Trump administration to do away with the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety. (NIOSH) in 2018.
In addition to the job cuts, apparently Elon Musk’s DOGE terminated two research grants.
The first was a New York City FDNY research grant that funds FDNY’s efforts to compare FDNY disease incidence rates with 3 other urban fire depts. It is the best way to definitively prove that any new conditions are WTC related and therefore should be added by the program to the covered WTC conditions While terminating this grant does not impact the clinics current staffing it will severely hinder the FDNY’s effort to provide WTC exposed members with treatment coverage for new health conditions (ex autoimmune diseases cardiovascular diseases etc) that are increasingly affecting FDNY members.
Apparently, it was a determination of Centers for Disease Control (CDC) contract staff who said with respect to the FDNY contract that “As a result of that review, this contract was determined to be non-essential because the outputs from the contract are not statutorily required.”
The second grant was for the Feinstein Institute on Long Island, that was also looking at cancer rates, but in this case comparing the cancer rates between area workers in lower Manhattan and similar workers in Westchester County.
This work was also determined by DOGE to be “not statutorily required”, which could not be further from the truth.
Thankfully the reaction to the public outrage was swift, including the reaction of public officials including the support of New York and New Jersey Republican Members of Congress. Lead by Congressman Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), including 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 programs ability to do its work.
This letter along with the work of Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) and others who have raised their 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, the administration reversed the job cuts.
Thankfully these cuts in staff were eventually rescinded by President Trump before they could impact the programs services.
Statements from Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act
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 […]
Documents
February 19th, 2025 Garbarino Letter to President Trump
News Articles
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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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.