© Michael Brochstein | © Seth Harrison/The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK
(New York, NY) – New York lawmakers are calling on top Trump Administration officials to reverse staffing cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program. Senators Chuck Schumer, the Democrat minority leader, and Kirsten Gillibrand, sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In the letter, they detail how Kennedy promised in his confirmation hearings that he would continue providing survivors of 9/11 with the health care they need. Staffing was reduced by around 20% following firings and buyout offers. 16 people in total have been booted from their positions.
This is in addition to cuts in research grants that would help the FDNY pinpoint new health conditions and figure out the best treatment options. New York Attorney General Letitia James also lambasted the cuts and demanded the employees to be reinstated. The WTC Health Program was set up in 2011 as a special fund providing coverage to first responders, workers, and other New Yorkers who were in Lower Manhattan at the time of the attack on the Twin Towers. More than 130,000 people are currently enrolled in the program. Many people suffer from various cancers and other illnesses.
