Survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks, city council members and legal advocates on Wednesday urged Congress to approve additional funding for the World Trade Center Health Program, saying the CDC-run initiative faces a shortfall that could force it to stop accepting new applicants as soon as 2027.
The program, established after the 2001 attacks, has provided cancer treatment, respiratory care and mental health support to more than 140,000 responders and survivors since 2011, officials and advocates said. They are backing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, which would change the program's funding formula to be tied to annual enrollment numbers through 2090.
Advocates said current appropriations are insufficient to meet demand and warned that delays will have immediate human costs. "This program saves lives," said John Feal, a Sept. 11 survivor, outside steps of City Hall, highlighting the program's role in early cancer detection and cost-free treatment for covered conditions. City Council members planned to introduce a resolution calling on Congress to act "at once," according to organizers.
Councilwoman Julie Menin criticized federal leadership over the program's oversight, saying recent changes at the Department of Health and Human Services have weakened the agency responsible for managing the program. "It is totally outrageous that we have to be out here asking for funding," she said, and accused Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of having gutted the agency and "play[ing] Russian roulette with people's lives."
Attorney Michael Barasch, who represents more than 40,000 9/11 clients, said he is seeing a steady stream of new cases and losses. Barasch said his office loses an average of two clients per day to 9/11-related illnesses and receives about a dozen new calls each week. "It's going to get even worse," he said, citing the long latency period for many cancers tied to exposure at the World Trade Center site. "They should agree that they made a promise to never forget. Well, they're forgetting."
Survivors and first responders described delays and financial strain while waiting for program enrollment and benefits. Recently diagnosed applicants are experiencing a roughly six-month waiting period to begin program services, advocates said.
Jason Cousin, a 49-year-old volunteer firefighter who worked at Ground Zero, described severe respiratory illness and post-traumatic stress that he said are linked to his service in the aftermath of the attacks. Cousin said his sinus deterioration and emphysema have left his lungs so damaged that he described them as "Swiss cheese." He said the only condition currently eligible for coverage in his case is chronic lung disease.
Cousin filed a claim with the WTC Health Program in March and said he is awaiting the first appointment slot being offered later this month. He said he worries his lung capacity — which can vary daily — may hover around a 70 percent threshold used in some eligibility assessments. Cousin's attorneys warned that even if his claim is approved it could take up to two years to receive benefit payments.
Cousin and his wife said they have depleted more than $100,000 in savings, taken personal loans and moved to a cheaper town upstate to manage mounting medical bills. They have also launched a public crowdfunding effort to cover ongoing expenses. "Two years? That's not good enough; my husband is going to be an emotional wreck by then," his wife, Shannon Cousin, said.
Medical advocates say the demand for services is likely to increase as survivors develop illnesses with long latency periods. The proposed 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 would revise how funds are allocated to account for enrollment trends and provide funding projections through 2090, supporters said. Proponents argue the change would ensure continuity of care for current enrollees and prevent future applicants from being turned away.
The World Trade Center Health Program is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and provides a range of services to eligible responders and survivors, including monitoring, treatment and mental health care. Program supporters contend that a predictable funding formula tied to enrollment would stabilize services and reduce administrative delays.
Lawmakers in Congress have not set a date for consideration of the bill. New York City elected officials and advocacy groups said they will press federal lawmakers to act before the program's projected shortfall forces restrictions on new enrollments. The city council resolution scheduled for introduction Wednesday urges an immediate congressional vote on the funding correction legislation.
Advocates emphasized the human toll of any funding lapse, saying delays or restrictions could mean delayed diagnoses, interrupted treatment and increased out-of-pocket costs for families who already have faced decades of illness tied to the Sept. 11 attacks.
