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.

The Trump administration in February reversed its decision to fire 20% of the World Trade Center Health Program’s staff and reinstated research grants that had been terminated, following an outcry from advocates and lawmakers.

But local officials and others familiar with the program say new federal staffing cuts targeting more than 800 employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which houses the WTC Health Program, could also kneecap services.

It doesn’t matter that President Donald Trump reversed the previous cuts “if there's nobody there to answer the phones,” said Michael Barasch, an attorney representing people with medical conditions linked to 9/11. He added that his clients have been calling in a panic.

The WTC Health Program provides free medical monitoring and treatment for 9/11 responders and others who were exposed to the toxins in Lower Manhattan following the attacks. It also funds research on the physical and mental health effects of 9/11, which in turn, allows new conditions to be covered.

It’s estimated that more than 400,000 people were exposed to health hazards linked to 9/11, and more than 130,000 are enrolled in the WTC Health Program, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“These reckless actions not only show their gross incompetence, but also show their inability to have any sort of empathy,” said John Feal, who was injured supervising demolition during the 9/11 cleanup and has since advocated for other responders and survivors.

The WTC Health Program, which is authorized by Congress through 2090, is housed within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The institute is losing more than 800 employees, or about two-thirds of its staff, amid the Trump administration’s broader restructuring of federal health agencies.

Health and Human Services maintains that the program will continue to be able to serve patients.

“All statutorily required programs will remain intact, and as a result of the reorganization, will be better positioned to execute on Congress’ statutory intent,” Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement.

Dr. Marc Wilkenfeld is an occupational medicine physician in New York City who treats people enrolled in the WTC Health Program. He said people who have been exposed to 9/11-related toxins are entitled to annual checkups through the program so that any cancers or other diseases can be detected early.

Once someone gets a diagnosis, treatment has to be approved by program staff — but Wilkenfeld says he worries that now there won’t be anyone left to make the call.

“It's going to be devastating and people will die because of that,” Wilkenfeld said.

The WTC Health Program has bipartisan support. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican representing Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, commended the Trump administration for reversing the previous cuts to the program.

“This is a reminder of why, when looking for savings to reduce our nation’s $37 trillion debt, we need to use a scalpel, not a sledgehammer — to avoid unintended consequences and unnecessary anxiety,” Malliotakis said at the time.

Asked about the latest staffing reduction at National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Malliotakis' spokesperson Anthony Raisley said she “has expressed her concern to the White House and believes this decision will be reversed as was the last one.”

Under the Trump administration’s reorganization plan, the institute and several other agencies will be consolidated under a new agency, the Administration for a Healthy America.