Gov. Kathy Hochul echoed questions by GOP members of Congress about the ability of the World Trade Center Health Program to provide care for 9/11 responders and survivors amid reports that key health personnel had been dispatched to other federal agencies, including U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
She called on the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the federal Department of Homeland Security to undo any changes that impact the WTC Health Program, which already struggled with staff reductions that advocates say interfere with getting healthcare to those who need it.
“Reducing staff for an essential health program that has already faced drastic cuts in order to support an out-of-control enforcement agency with a history of failing to protect Americans is reprehensible,” Hochul, a Democrat, said in a March 18 statement. “Our first responders and their families deserve better.”
A March 6 letter from a group of Republican members of Congress to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called attention to issues at the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides screening and care for 9/11 responders and survivors.
“Reports indicate that the program is operating with staffing levels well below authorized capacity, even as enrollment continues to grow,” the letter states. “These staffing shortfalls have coincided with widespread delays in treatment authorizations, backlogs in claims processing, disruptions in continuity of care, and reduced oversight of contractors.”
Leaders of first-responder organizations that suffered devastating losses on Sept. 11, 2001, joined the call for transparency and investment in the WTC Health Program.
“Restoring full staffing to the 9/11 Health Program is a moral obligation. The brave men and women who didn’t hesitate on September 11 and in days that followed deserve consistent, comprehensive medical care,” Fire Department of New York Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said in a March 18 statement. “Making sure this program is fully staffed keeps our promise to never forget, by providing the support our first responders have earned.”
The New York State Police have lost 41 active and retired members to 9/11-related illnesses, and many more continue to face serious health conditions tied to their service.
“The New York State Police are deeply concerned by any action that reduces the capacity of the World Trade Center Health Program,” NYS Police Superintendent Steven G. James said. “Maintaining its full strength is essential to ensuring timely care and honoring our commitment to those who served.”
GOP reps seek details on operational challenges
The March 6 letter from members of Congress was penned by U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota, a Republican whose 1st District is on Long Island. Fellow Republicans from the metro New York area signed on, including:
Other New York Republicans also signed, including U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of the 21st; U.S. Rep. Nicholas Langworthy of the 23rd and U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney of the 24th District; and U.S. Reps. Christopher Smith and Thomas Kean of New Jersey.
“House Republicans recently secured lifetime funding for the World Trade Center Health Program. This was a monumental achievement,” Lawler said in a statement. “Now, a congressional briefing with the Administration is a necessary step to better understand these operational issues, ensure the program is fully equipped to meet growing demand, and reaffirm our commitment to delivering timely, uninterrupted care to our 9/11 heroes.”
Were WTC Health staff assigned ICE activities?
The letter from members of the U.S. House of Representatives also questions temporarily reassignments of WTC Health Program staff to “immigration enforcement activities and the Indian Health Service.” That includes a deputy director re-routed to other duties, they noted.
Details were not available about what immigration work the WTC staff could be temporarily assigned to do.
HHS Press Secretary Emily Hilliard told the USA TODAY Network that “there are currently no U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) officers assigned to the World Trade Center Health Program who are deployed to support ICE.”
Hilliard said a senior-level USPHS officer was completing a four-month detail with the Indian Health Service “as part of the Secretary’s commitment to strengthening tribal health systems.”
“These reassignments further exacerbate the program staff shortage and harmful wait times for patients,” the congressional members’ letter states. “Responders and survivors suffering from cancers and other life-threatening 9/11-related conditions have reported waiting months for appointments or approvals. These delays can have devastating medical consequences.”
Staffing shortages linger for key 9/11 program
According to the letter, the appeals process for those seeking 9/11 coverage can now take more than a year. That’s likely due to cuts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which along with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, have key roles in approving coverage.
With turnover at the CDC, and repeated cuts and restorations, the support structure for the program suffers, advocates say. Meanwhile, WTC Health Program enrollment continues to climb nearly 25 years after the attacks.
“9/11 survivors are dying of cancer, fighting to breathe, and Trump is ripping away their care to staff ICE,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, said in a statement. “It is a disgrace and a betrayal of our first responders.”
Schumer said redirection of staffing would delay care and increase wait times for the tens of thousands seeking support. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy must reverse these reassignments immediately.”
Hillard at HHS said the World Trade Center Health Program “continues to accept and review new enrollment applications and certification requests.”
Nearly 25 years after 9/11, health needs soar
The WTC Health Program provides screening and treatment for those exposed to the toxic swirl around the World Trade Center and other sites on and after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
As of this year, more than 9,000 deaths have been attributed to 9/11 illness — more than triple the 2,977 deaths that occurred during the attacks in Lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Cuts were threatened in 2025, including two rounds of layoffs and callbacks, but funding has since been secured by Congress. Meanwhile, members of Congress and advocates say, the program suffers from a decline in staffing, which have led to delays in approvals for benefits and coverage for 9/11 responders and others.
The WTC Health Program is budgeted for 120 staffers but currently has only 84, a 25% drop in personnel, according to Schumer’s office.
The WTC Health Program was established as part of the James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act that was signed into law in 2011.
That legislation also established the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. The two programs are distinct, but to qualify for the VCF, a person needs certification by the WTC Health Program.
More than 150,000 have enrolled in the health program, including 93,800 first responders and 56,600 survivors. The largest cohort of enrollees live in New York and the second-largest cohort reside in New Jersey. WTC Health Program members live in all 50 states.
Note: This story was updated on March 18, 2026 to include further statements from Gov. Kathy Hochul and others.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Were 9/11 health workers sent to ICE? NY reps, Hochul demand answers
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
