Months of Silence: Pallone Blasts Trump Administration for Abandoning 9/11 Responders Ahead of Anniversary

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the nation prepares to mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11th attacks this Thursday, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, renewed his demand for answers from the Trump Administration about staffing upheavals and care disruptions at the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP).

Pallone first sent a letterto Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on February 28, 2025 opposing the firing of twenty percent of employees at the WTCHP. Pallone then followed up with an additional letter on May 8, 2025continuing to raise concerns with disruptions in the administration of the program and participants access to services and providers.

Pallone continued his oversight of the program in his questions to the Secretary following the June 24^th hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee. He has warned from the beginning of the Trump Administration that staff terminations and halted certifications of diseases were denying sick responders and survivors lifesaving care. He pledged that commitments made on behalf of our nation following this tragedy must be honored. Nearly seven months from his first inquiry, the Trump Administration has provided no response. The WTC Health Program has had a significant increase in enrollment since 2017, with 2024 being the year with the highest number of new members - more than 10,000 - as of August 1, 2025.

"Every September 11th, we pledge to never forget. Yet cancer patients are being turned away, oversight has been dismantled, and the Trump Administration is stonewalling Congress. This is betrayal of our 9/11 heroes," Pallone said.

Recent reportsshow the scope of the breakdown:

• The WTCHP has stopped certifying new conditions as eligible for coverage and delayed more than a thousand cases already in the pipeline, leaving many responders unable to begin urgent treatments like chemotherapy.
• Advocates and physicians warn that petitions to recognize additional 9/11-related diseases - from cardiovascular issues to autoimmune disorders - are stalled, with responders suffering rare conditions like acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia left without coverage.
• The federally mandated Responder Steering Committee, which had provided accountability and input for nearly 25 years, has not met since January due to Trump Administration restrictions. This pause has silenced a critical forum for tracking new health threats and ensuring the program adapts as science evolves.
• Survivors and health experts say their inquiries have gone unanswered for months, with no clarity on how conditions are being tracked or when stalled certifications will resume.

"I helped pass the law that created this program because we owed our first responders care for the rest of their lives. That promise is being broken in real time, and the Trump Administration refuses to answer for it," Pallone said.

The WTCHP provides monitoring and treatment to more than 145,000 responders and survivors across all 50 states. Under Trump, it has been left understaffed, destabilized, and unresponsive.

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