After facing intense bipartisan backlash, the Trump administration has made a major reversal—agreeing to keep its hands off the World Trade Center Health Program. This program has been a critical support system, offering medical care and monitoring to over 100,000 9/11 first responders who risked everything in the wake of the attacks. The decision to protect this program came after a wave of public outrage from both Republicans and Democrats, along with passionate pleas from New Yorkers who depend on it.
Last week, Elon Musk, through his cost-cutting efforts with DOGE, bulldozed through the WTC Health Program, slashing 20% of its staff. The sudden terminations sent shockwaves through the community, with lawmakers and advocates immediately calling for action. FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker was among those who spoke out, emphasizing how vital the program is to those suffering from 9/11-related illnesses. “The World Trade Center Health Program has been a lifeline to sickened 9/11 responders, who selflessly gave so much,” Tucker stated. “Cuts to its grant funding will limit our ability to prove that new conditions are WTC-related, and should be added to the list of covered conditions. This will hinder our efforts to provide treatment coverage for new conditions, which is a tragedy for all Americans who swore they would never forget.”
The pushback was swift and unrelenting. GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, alongside eight other lawmakers from New York and New Jersey, penned a letter to Trump on Wednesday night, urging him to undo the damage done by Musk’s budget cuts. Their plea was clear and direct: “We urge you, as a native New Yorker who lived in New York City as it recovered from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to reverse these actions by rehiring the terminated probationary staff, restoring the canceled FDNY research grant contract, and fencing off the WTC Health Program, which was authorized in statute as mandatory spending, from any further staff and funding reductions.”
By Thursday night, Malliotakis confirmed that the White House had responded to the mounting pressure and assured lawmakers that there would be no staffing cuts to the World Trade Center Healthcare Program. Additionally, research grants connected to 9/11-related illnesses would remain intact. This reversal was welcomed by many, including New York Senator Chuck Schumer, who took the opportunity to criticize the initial move as an example of Trump and DOGE’s reckless decision-making. “This is a clear example of the damaging Trump-DOGE shoot-first, ask-questions-later approach for their rash cuts and layoffs,” Schumer remarked.
The World Trade Center Health Program has been a beacon of hope for first responders who sacrificed everything on that tragic day and in the years that followed. Any threat to its funding or staffing is met with fierce resistance from lawmakers and the public alike. The program isn’t just another budget line item—it’s a commitment to the heroes who stood in the face of unimaginable horror and didn’t back down. As this latest political battle shows, the promise to “never forget” isn’t just words; it’s a duty to protect those who protected us.
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