By Hank Russell
Elected officials, both Republican and Democrat, have given a deadline of tomorrow — April 9 — to answer questions regarding the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) after Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced massive cuts to the program, including the layoffs of two-thirds of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) staff.
On April 1, Kennedy announced that 873 NIOSH staffers were let go, including Dr. John Howard, who administers the WTCHP. The next day, U.S. Representative Andrew Garbarino (R-Patchogue) met with the Trump administration, calling for Howard’s reinstatement. On April 5, Howard was brought back to the agency.
In a joint statement with U.S. Representatives Nick LaLota (R-Rocky Point), Mike Lawler (R-Pearl River) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island), Garbarino said:
“We appreciate the Trump Administration’s shared commitment to caring for our 9/11 responders and survivors. The firing of Dr. Howard and the subsequent impact on the World Trade Center Health Program was an unfortunate mistake, and we are deeply grateful for HHS’ swift action to reinstate him as Administrator of this critical program. The Administration’s continued support of the program is encouraging, and we look forward to working together to address any remaining issues.”
But U.S. Representative Laura Gillen (D-Garden City) said she was “outraged” to learn the spending bill that recently passed did not include funding for the WTCHP. “Our first responders and survivors can’t wait for action. … We promised never to forget, but every delay in funding tells the 9/11 community otherwise.”
In addition, Gillen was one of 44 cosponsors of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 that was introduced by Garbarino. LaLota and Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) also sponsored the bill.
The Act would modify the WTCHP, including by updating the formula for determining the program’s annual funding amounts and authorizing mental health providers to provide certain evaluations under the program.
The issue isn’t the funding, but the lack of available NIOSH staffers and how they will be able to implement the WTCHP. According to FingerLakes1.com, Garbarino, U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressmen Hakeem Jeffries (D-Central Brooklyn), Jerry Nadler (D-Upper East Side) and Dan Goldman (D-Brooklyn) asked the Trump administration how new and existing medical cases, including requests to cover autoimmune and heart conditions, as well as handling of grant decisions and contracts.
“We were appalled at the recent announcement that HHS cut two-thirds of the staff at NIOSH,” they wrote. “These cuts interfere with program operations and put the care of 9/11 responders and survivors at risk.”
Benjamin Chevat, who is the executive director of Citizens for Extension of the James Zadroaga Act, was more blunt, telling the upstate New York outlet, “This wasn’t a scalpel or even a chainsaw — this was a bulldozer that is leveling the program.”