The Trump administration is as soon as once more underneath fireplace for concentrating on the World Commerce Middle Well being Program (WTCHP), a lifeline for hundreds of 9/11 responders and survivors.
Photograph by Dean Moses
The Trump administration is as soon as once more underneath fireplace for concentrating on the World Commerce Middle Well being Program (WTCHP), a lifeline for hundreds of 9/11 responders and survivors.
On Might 2, President Trump and Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired 16 extra medical workers on the Nationwide Institute for Occupational Security and Well being (NIOSH), the place vital WTCHP work is completed. U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand condemned the transfer Sunday, calling it a harmful betrayal of the nation’s dedication to 9/11 heroes.
“This is MAGA extremism, pure and simple,” Schumer mentioned, blasting the cuts as a politically motivated assault that harms those that risked all the pieces within the wake of the assaults.
“It is revolting that President Trump and Secretary Kennedy…fired even more staffers at NIOSH, critical doctors and scientists who have dedicated their lives to helping these sick people and many others,” the Senate minority chief added.
Firemen work across the World Commerce Middle after each towers collapsed.Reuters/Peter Morgan
Gillibrand echoed the outrage, saying the administration’s actions have been a direct assault on the reminiscence and sacrifice of 9/11 responders.
“Once again, President Trump is betraying the heroes who stepped up and risked their lives in one of our nation’s darkest hours,” she mentioned. “It’s an outrageous betrayal of ‘never forget.’”
The World Commerce Middle Well being Program supplies ongoing therapy, monitoring, and analysis for over 137,000 folks affected by the 9/11 assaults. These embrace survivors and first responders from Floor Zero, the Pentagon, and the United Airways Flight 93 crash website in Shanksville, PA.
Schumer emphasised that New York Republican Home members have the leverage to cease the cuts. He urged them to make use of their upcoming funds vote to pressure Trump to reinstate the medical personnel and reverse the harm.
Representatives of first responders have been equally scathing.
Gary Smiley of FDNY EMS Native 2507 mentioned the administration’s actions “place in peril the lives and health of every responder and survivor that rely on this program for their care.” He added, “The delays in care these egregious actions are causing are reprehensible.”
Mariama James, a WTCHP participant, voiced frustration and exhaustion over the repeated assaults.
“We’re tired of the Trump Administration and Secretary Kennedy’s lies…we’re tired of having to trot our chronically ill onto stages to prove our suffering,” she mentioned.
Schumer and Gillibrand have championed the WTCHP since its bipartisan founding in 2011. They reauthorized and prolonged this system by 2090 and have secured over $1.6 billion in funding since 2022.
