DOGE Cuts to 9/11 Program Aren't Going Over Very Well

On Monday, New York's Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand penned a letter insisting that cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the World Trade Center Health Program, which offers aid to first responders and others who suffer from 9/11-related health conditions, be rescinded and fired staff rehired. On Wednesday, seven of their Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill joined them, writing their own note directly to President Trump to express their "grave concerns" over the employee reductions and imploring him to make any workforce cuts in a more "targeted manner so as to not impact the vital functions of the program," which is under the purview of the CDC, per the New York Times.

"The program not only provides vital medical monitoring and care to nearly 137,000 responders and survivors across the United States, but also conducts research on the extent of the health impacts and how to improve the lives of program members," reads the letter mostly written by GOP Rep. Andrew Garbarino and co-signed by New York Reps. Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler, Claudia Tenney, Nicole Malliotakis, and Nick Langworthy, as well as New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith—all usually Trump allies, per the Times. "This staff reduction will only make it more difficult for the program to supervise its contracts and to care for its members who are comprised of the brave men and women who ran towards danger and helped in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks."

About 20% of the WTC Health Program's staff was excised, with some reportedly fired, while others took buyouts. The program, mandated through 2090, was created by Congress in 2011 under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act to assist those affected by toxins not only from the New York City attacks, but also those in DC and Pennsylvania.

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USA Today notes that ahead of his confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed to Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand that he'd go to bat for 9/11 first responders and other survivors. "This is a mistake that needs to be corrected, and corrected quickly," says Andrew Ansbro, head of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York. Anthony Gardner, a now-terminated WTC Health Program staffer, adds, "For some of these members, these delays [tied to the cuts] are going to be life and death." (More DOGE stories.)