Goldman, Gillibrand, Schumer, Jeffries, Garbarino, and Nadler Lead Bipartisan Letter Demanding President Trump Reverse Cuts to World Trade Center Health Program

  

Washington, D.C – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today, alongside Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08), and Representatives Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) and Andrew Garbarino (NY-02) led a bipartisan letter calling on President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reverse cuts to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) staff that provide critical support for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).  

   

“We were appalled at the recent announcement that the Department of Health and Human Services cut two-thirds of the staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), under which the WTCHP operates,” the Members wrote.  

 

The WTCHP, which provides health care for 137,000 9/11 survivors and first responders, does not employ any physicians and relies heavily on NIOSH staff to deliver care and reward research grants on 9/11 conditions and treatments. Under the law, medical doctors need to certify new enrollees’ medical conditions before they can begin receiving care. The WTCHP has always used NIOSH staff doctors to certify these conditions, and firing them prevents the program from onboarding new 9/11 survivors and first responders or updating existing enrollees’ diagnoses. 

 

“We understand that your plan is to ultimately eliminate all NIOSH staff in the next few days. The WTCHP relies on NIOSH staff to fulfill many of its obligations under the law, and eliminating staff that implement it, especially as more and more responders and survivors fall ill with 9/11-related conditions, will directly interfere with program operations and undermine access to the treatment these heroes have earned and deserve,” the Members continued. 

 

The Trump Administration also fired Dr. John Howard, who has served as the WTCHP’s administrator since its creation and has been re-appointed to the role by Democratic and Republican presidents, including by President Trump in his first term. Dr. Howard plays a critical role as the final decision-maker in determining which petitioned conditions should be covered and ensures the WTCHP is adhering to the laws enacted by Congress. Removing him severely damages the program’s ability to effectively serve its 137,000 enrollees, as well as the estimated 400,000 individuals who were exposed to toxins on 9/11. 

 

Furthermore, NIOSH's research and work are essential not only to the work of the WTCHP, but to advancing occupational health and safety across the United States. NIOSH employees and contractors ensure the safety of miners, firefighters, nurses, and other workers by implementing safety standards and conducting research on protective equipment. The administration’s terminations severely hamper efforts to safeguard the health and safety of employees across the country. 

 

“Congress has continually reaffirmed its bipartisan commitment to the responders and survivors of the September 11th attacks. We stand ready to work with you to reverse these cuts to ensure that current and future participants receive the coverage and care that Congress has continuously provided,” the Members concluded.  

 

  

Dear President Trump and Secretary Kennedy,   

  

The World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) provides critical medical treatment, research, and monitoring to over 137,000 responders and survivors of the September 11th terrorist attacks, living in every state and nearly every Congressional district. The WTCHP serves first responders and survivors from the World Trade Center and lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, and the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This vital program provides life-saving care to the heroes who answered the call to serve in one of our nation’s darkest hours and the survivors who are forced to live with the health consequences from the attacks every single day.   

  

We were appalled at the recent announcement that the Department of Health and Human Services cut two-thirds of the staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), under which the WTCHP operates. We understand that your plan is to ultimately eliminate all NIOSH staff in the next few days.   

  

Since the establishment of the WTCHP in 2011, the number of program enrollees has more than doubled from 61,000 to 137,000. The WTCHP relies on NIOSH staff to fulfill many of its obligations under the law, and eliminating staff that implement it, especially as more and more responders and survivors fall ill with 9/11-related conditions, will directly interfere with program operations and undermine access to the treatment these heroes have earned and deserve.   

  

For example, the WTCHP does not employ any staff physicians or individuals with medical degrees. Under the statute medical doctors need to approve certifications of members coming forward with new conditions that meet the requirements of the law for them to receive treatment.  The WTCHP has always used NIOSH doctors to perform this work.  

  

Additionally, the WTCHP does not have a staff epidemiologist and has always used NIOSH epidemiologists to review pending petitions for considering whether to add new conditions to the list of covered conditions. The WTCHP also currently uses NIOSH staff to determine the awards of research grants in the amount of nearly $20 million dollars a year, an annual requirement of the program to fund research on 9/11 conditions and care.  

  

We are extremely concerned regarding the dismissal of Dr. John Howard, the Program Administrator of WTCHP. Since the program’s inception, Dr. Howard has faithfully served as the Administrator, playing a critical role as the final decision-maker on determining which petitioned conditions should be covered and ensuring the WTCHP is adhering to the explicit statutes enacted by Congress. His institutional knowledge is unmatched and allows the program to operate effectively and efficiently. It is estimated that over 400,000 individuals were exposed to toxins or other hazards on 9/11, and we are gravely concerned that his termination will undermine the essential work the WTCHP does. 

  

Finally, we are concerned about the termination of the staff at the Office of Acquisition Services at NIOSH. The Office of Acquisition Services oversees all contracts for the WTCHP’s Nationwide Provider Network (NPN), which is a vast network of contracted health providers throughout the country that provide the medical monitoring and treatment for program enrollees who live outside the New York metropolitan area. This office ensures these contracts and providers meet the needs of enrollees and provides oversight and quality assurance for the NPN. Without this coordinating mechanism, current contracts could receive little oversight and that future contracts could lapse, undermining access to enrollee care.  

  

We are asking that the Administration provide answers on how the WTCHP will be impacted by these massive layoffs. Please respond to the below list of questions by April 9th, 2025.   

 

  

Congress has continually reaffirmed its bipartisan commitment to the responders and survivors of the September 11th attacks. We stand ready to work with you to reverse these cuts to ensure that current and future participants receive the coverage and care that Congress has continuously provided.