New Yorkers push for funding fix for World Trade Center Health Program

WASHINGTON — New York lawmakers, firefighters, police and advocates stood outside of the Capitol building Wednesday to demand that Congress and the White House finally enact the last funding bill needed for the World Trade Center Health Program.

Still angry at the last-minute spiking in December of a measure to cover the program’s projected $3 billion shortfall, speaker after speaker pointed to its essential care for the often rare, debilitating and deadly illnesses for those exposed to the 9/11 attacks’ harmful ruins.

"What’s killing them even more is ... the toxic redundancy of having to keep coming back to this place. They have to keep telling their stories," said John Feal, of Nesconset, who has led ailing first responders to lobby lawmakers in Washington during the past decade.

The lawmakers said they were reintroducing the WTC Health Program funding bill that Congress and Trump had initially supported but then ordered cut along with many other items after billionaire Elon Musk tweeted complaints about the 1,547-page short-term spending bill.

At stake is whether the WTC Health Program, created in 2011 and now serving 137,000 first responders and survivors, will have the funds to keep treating cancers, respiratory illnesses and other ailments from the effects of the 9/11 terror attacks until the program ends in 2090.

Rep. Andrew Garbarino, the House sponsor of the measure, expressed confidence that Congress and the White House will approve the funding fix despite demands by President Donald Trump and Musk for deep cuts to federal government spending.

The Bayport Republican, fresh off his success in persuading Trump to reverse the firing of 11 probationary employees of the WTC Health Program and to restore research funds last week,  said House and Senate majority and minority leaders, and the president, last year supported the funding measure.

"The White House knows that this is a priority for both Republicans and Democrats," Garbarino said at the news conference. "I don’t understand why there wouldn’t be a four-way agreement to get it done in whatever next appropriations bills move."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), the bill’s Senate sponsor, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stressed the importance of once again putting pressure on the White House and Congress to enact the bill that fixes the program’s funding formula.

"We have to fix the formula and fix it once and for all," Gillibrand said.

"Unless we do, by Oct. 28 the program will be forced to close enrollment for any new 9/11 responders and survivors, and existing enrollees will face direct cuts to their care and denied medical and monitoring and treatment," Gillibrand said.

Schumer recalled that Congress in the past approved funding for the health program on a piecemeal basis, but said he hoped that now the funding could become permanent by adding it to the funding bill for the rest of the fiscal year Congress must pass next month.

But he said there’s fear about the program, pointing out that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cut the health program’s research funds and fired workers.

"It makes it very real, how ephemeral this could be," he said.

Schumer thanked Garbarino and the bipartisan support that led to the restoration of funds and workers.

"We all asked that the workers be rehired, and thankfully President Trump listened," Schumer said. "Now he’s got to listen again so we don’t go through this ever again, and stand up and say that any appropriations bill should include permanent funding."

The White House press office did not respond to a Newsday query about the president's view on adding the WTC Health Program's fix to the spending bill that must be passed by March 14 to keep the government open.