The Trump administration’s CDC staff cuts threaten critical care for 9/11 first responders enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Recent layoffs eliminated 16 probationary staff and incentivized buyouts for full-time employees, reducing program supervision by 20%. This downsizing delays certifications for new cancer treatments and stalls petitions to expand coverage for autoimmune and cardiac conditions.
Benjamin Chevat of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act warns these cuts will hamper prescription management and worsen health outcomes.
We cannot believe the Trump administration intends to harm 9/11 responders, but that will be the outcome,Chevat stated.
New York Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer condemned the cuts in a scathing letter to HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.:
‘Never forget’ is a sacred promise. Slashing funding for these heroes’ healthcare is unacceptable and un-American.
The World Trade Center Health Program, established under the Zadroga Act, serves 140,000 survivors—including 12,000 new enrollees in 2024. Key impacts include:
- Delayed research into 9/11-linked illnesses at FDNY
- 20% fewer staff managing care coordination
- Postponed coverage decisions for emerging conditions
Senator Gillibrand emphasized:
This betrayal will devastate sick responders. Secretary Kennedy must reverse these cuts immediately.With program operations stretched thin, advocates fear irreversible setbacks for survivors battling time-sensitive health crises.