Advocates say funding cuts are putting the World Trade Center Health Program at risk as the Trump administration works to downsize the federal government.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Advocates and survivors gathered Tuesday in Charlotte to rally support for the World Trade Center Health Program amid growing concerns that federal funding cuts could jeopardize care for thousands still suffering from 9/11-related illnesses.
The program, which launched in 2011, provides medical treatment to first responders and survivors exposed to toxic dust and debris following the Sept. 11 attacks. But its future is uncertain after staffing cuts tied to a federal workforce restructuring under the Trump administration, according to advocates.
โYou made us a promise to always have health program coverage for us, and now itโs being taken away,โ Michael Barasch, a managing partner with Barasch & McGarry, a law firm representing 9/11 responders and survivors, said. โThey canโt do that.โ
Barasch rallied survivors in Charlotteโs SouthPark neighborhood to voice concerns and urge lawmakers to safeguard the program, which has supported tens of thousands of people nationwide.
Among the survivors to attend was Van Tuley, a Fort Mill resident who says he served at the Pentagon in the aftermath of the attacks. He says he’s since undergone multiple cancer treatments โ including for prostate and skin cancer โ and worries about the future of his care.
โItโs concerning,โ Tuley said. โThereโs people that are just now getting signed up for it and canโt get treatment because of those cutbacks … If I need future treatments of anything, I donโt know if it would cover it or not.โ
The cuts follow a move by the federal government to downsize staff at the Department of Health and Human Services โ a process that included firing and rehiring program staffers, only to terminate some employees tied to the program again, according to advocates.
Attorneys and survivors are now calling on Congress to maintain funding and keep the World Trade Center Health Program operational through 2090.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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