Washington – Congressman Frank Pallone (D-District 6) has criticized the Trump administration’s decision to cut the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP), saying it jeopardizes the health of 9/11 first responders and survivors.
“These latest DOGE purges are an absolute disgrace,” Pallone stated. “Thousands of responders and survivors depend on the care they receive through the World Trade Center Health Program, including many treated right here in New Jersey at Rutgers’ Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI) clinic.”
Pallone has already heard from constituents who are concerned about the cuts, including Piscataway resident Frank Granger, a 9/11 responder who developed terminal cancer after being exposed at Ground Zero.
“I’m concerned, among other things, that my 9/11 health care will be withdrawn. Please fight this tyrant, sir. “Americans like me are completely behind you,” Granger wrote in a message to Pallone.
“Trump’s decision to allow his lackey Elon Musk to eliminate these critical jobs isn’t just cruel, it’s a betrayal of the heroes who risked everything to protect our country after 9/11,” Pallone told reporters. “First responders should not have to beg for the treatment they deserve. I fought to create this program, and I will fight like hell to keep it.”
Pallone assisted in negotiating the House passage of the bipartisan James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, which established the WTCHP and the Nationwide Provider Network. The law also established the Rutgers Clinic, which continues to provide critical medical care to responders throughout the region