Staten Island, NYC World Trade Center Survivors Demanding Answers On Health Program Chaos, Unanswered Questions For Social Security Administration

Staten Island, NYC World Trade Center Survivors Demanding Answers On Health Program Chaos, Unanswered Questions For Social Security Administration

Editor’s note:  Senator Gillibrand fought to get funding for the WTC Health Program which directly helps many firefighters and police officers, along with many others, who survived the tragedy on 9/11 but now have developed complicated health conditions, including many cancers.  Treatment can be very expensive, and this health program was designed to pay for treatments for these individuals.  The senator recently discussed how the funding cuts are affecting survivors of this tragedy.  

AHEAD OF SEC. KENNEDY TESTIFYING BEFORE THE SENATE, GILLIBRAND, SCHUMER DEMAND ANSWERS ON CHAOS AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HEALTH PROGRAM AFTER KENNEDY AND PRESIDENT TRUMP BROKE PROMISES, FIRED WORKERS, AND GUTTED THE VITAL HEALTH CARE OF 9/11 FIRST RESPONDERS

Ahead of Secretary Kennedy’s Testimony Before Senate HELP Committee, Senators Say 9/11 First Responders Deserve Clear Answers On Safety Of Their Health Care After Recurring Firings Of Medical Staff & Lack Of Transparency 

Gillibrand, Schumer: “Secretary Kennedy Must Honor America’s Promise To Never Forget Our 9/11 Heroes”

*** Watch The Full Press Conference HERE ***

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer held a press conference demanding answers from Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on ongoing chaos, recurring cuts, sudden reversals, and lack of transparency at the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP). They were joined by 9/11 advocate John Feal; President of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act and President of Local 94 International Union of Operating Engineers Thomas Hart; President of the Uniformed Firefighters Association Local 94 IAFF AFL-CIO Andrew Ansbro; and 9/11 survivor and advocate Mariama James.

The press conference comes ahead of Secretary Kennedy’s appearance in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), where he is expected to be asked about his plan to honor our promise to 9/11 first responders and survivors and ensure they get the health care they are owed.

Since Trump has taken office, there has been constant upheaval at the WTCHP — including the firing of critical staff and release of inaccurate information about rehiring and program operation – which has disrupted continuity of care for 9/11 survivors and first responders with 9/11-related health issues, including cancer and lung ailments. In February 2025, the Trump administration slashed the workforce of the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) as part of DOGE’s senseless cuts to the federal health system. In response, Schumer and Gillibrand, together with a bipartisan group of House members, called on the administration to reverse the cuts. The Trump administration relented and re-hired WTCHP staff. Most recently, last month, nearly all staff at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) including Dr. John Howard, the administrator of the WTCHP, were fired. On April 5th HHS and NY House Republicans said Dr. Howard was rehired, but it later came out that was not true and for nearly a month his position was stuck in limbo, delaying the treatment and care for 9/11 first responders.

While some staff have been rehired, the disruptions have led to cancer treatment being denied; enrollments for as many as 800 9/11 responders and survivors halted; and processing of nearly 1,200 written treatment approvals stopped. Access to treatment has been hindered for those impacted by the toxic chemicals at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and the Shanksville crash site.

Senators Gillibrand and Schumer have reached out to Secretary Kennedy directly demanding clear answers on the status of operations at the WTCHP, including whether or not WTCHP Administrator John Howard is being reinstated; whether or not there was a month-long pause in enrolling new members; whether CDC and NIOSH staff that support the WTCHP will be reinstated; and whether the administration will support the senators’ legislation to address the WTCHP’s impending funding deficit.

Advertisement

“We are tremendously concerned about the conflicting reports that the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) has stopped providing services to injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors. We have worked for years alongside first responders and community leaders to get Congress to recognize the health effects of toxic exposure and ensure that our nation’s heroes get the care they deserve,” wrote the senators in a letter to Secretary Kennedy. “That is why we are truly dismayed at what staff at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the DOGE staffers have done in just one hundred days. We write to get clear information on what has happened with staff of the World Trade Center Health Program and the ability for survivors of 9/11 to get necessary care. To support the function of the World Trade Center Health Program, Dr. Howard must be fully restored to his position, including past June 2, and the WTCHP staff must be brought to full strength, permanently reinstating the medical, epidemiological, contract, grant, and support staff. This needs to be done immediately. The CDC and NIOSH staff that support and work on behalf of 9/11 responders and survivors must be restored and HHS’ external “communications pause” must be lifted so Members of Congress are able to receive up to date information on WTCHP operations.”

The full text of the senators’ letter to the WTCHP is available here.

GILLIBRAND, WARREN, WYDEN, SCHUMER WELCOME FRANK BISIGNANO TO SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION WITH NEARLY 200 UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, PUSH FOR ANSWERS ON BEHALF OF AMERICANS

Lawmakers Sent Bisignano 17 Letters Previously Sent To Acting Commissioner Dudek

Bisignano And The Trump Administration Could Cut Benefits For 3.8 Million New Yorkers Who Rely On Social Security

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee, joined Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) to welcome newly-confirmed Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Frank Bisignano to the agency with copies of 17 letters — containing nearly 200 unanswered questions — that the lawmakers had previously sent to the SSA under Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek. The push is the latest in the Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room efforts to fight back against President Trump and Elon Musk’s attacks on Social Security.

“As ranking member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I am committed to protecting benefits for the 3.8 million New Yorkers and 69 million Americans who rely on Social Security to pay their bills, afford medical care, and put food on the table,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Recipients have been paying into the system their entire lives with the understanding that they will receive a return on their investment. The US government made a promise to our seniors to take care of them, and it’s our responsibility to make sure Commissioner Bisignano and the Trump administration keep that promise.”

Since President Trump took office, Elon Musk and his team at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have worked to dismantle the Social Security Administration. Senate Democrats sent 17 letters to the SSA — helmed by then-Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek — pressing for answers and fighting back against the attack on Americans’ services and benefits.

Following Senate Republicans’ vote to confirm Frank Bisignano last week, the lawmakers redelivered all 17 of these letters, along with a note pressing Bisignano to respond and answer for DOGE’s attacks on the SSA.

“We have not received responses to the vast majority of our questions. In fact, Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek has reportedly instructed staff to not respond to public or congressional inquiries. The limited answers we have received have been unsatisfactory,” wrote the lawmakers in their note to Bisignano.

The lawmakers also highlighted their past requests for information from Bisignano — most of which went unanswered.

“You repeatedly claimed that, because you were not yet working at SSA, you did not have sufficient information to answer. You made these claims despite the fact that a former SSA employee whistleblower has reported that you have been participating extensively in high-level operational, management, and personnel decisions at SSA. Regardless of your previous claims, though, you have now been sworn in and have access to the information you claimed you need to provide us answers,” the lawmakers continued.

Senate Democrats’ Social Security War Room is a coordinated effort to fight back against the Trump administration’s attack on Americans’ Social Security. The War Room coordinates messaging across the Senate Democratic Caucus and external stakeholders; encourages grassroots engagement by providing opportunities for Americans to share what Social Security means to them; and educates Senate staff, the American public, and stakeholders about Republicans’ agenda and their continued cuts to Americans’ Social Security services and benefits.

The full text of the Senators’ letters can be found here.

Banner Image: World Trade Center press conference. Image Credit – Senator Gillibrand