9/11 cancer research funding saved from DOGE 'chopping block' after bipartisan outcry

21 February

The mass layoffs of federal government workers being pushed by the Trump Administration with the help of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are drawing vehement criticism not only from Democrats, but also, from some former GOP lawmakers — including MSNBC host Joe Scarborough and ex-Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pennsylvania). Scarborough and Dent are arguing that while government waste needs to be addressed, the Trump Administration and DOGE are going at it in a haphazard way and endangering vital things like food safety and air safety.

The Trump Administration and DOGE are also being criticized for endangering the 9/11 Survivors Fund. But according to CBS News reporter Jennifer Bisram, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) restored a $257,000 contract for 9/11-related cancer research restored following an angry outcry.

"The contract pays for data processing to compare cancer incidence rates among firefighters exposed to the World Trade Center toxins with firefighters who were not exposed in other cities," Bisram explains. "Earlier Thursday, (February 20), the (New York Fire Department) confirmed researchers working on the career firefighter health study received notice of the CDC contract termination last week."

In a February 20 post on the Musk-owned X.com (formerly Twitter), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-New York) wrote, "UPDATE: We just received confirmation from the White House that there will be no cuts to staffing at the World Trade Center Healthcare Program and research grants related to 9/11 illnesses."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer confirmed the contract's restoration as well, saying, in an official statement, "This is a clear example of the damaging Trump-DOGE shoot first, ask questions later approach for their rash cuts and layoffs. 9/11 cancer research and funding for FDNY should have never been on the chopping block and I am pleased the CDC has heeded my call to restore this grant for 9/11 first responders. Now, they need to fully uphold their promise and reverse the firings of World Trade Center Health staff to ensure care for 9/11 survivors and first responders continues uninterrupted."

Bisram notes that "this comes after 20 percent of the World Trade Center Health Program's staff was terminated last week," adding, "Advocates say it impacts first responders along with people who lived and worked in Lower Manhattan on 9/11, and makes it harder for them to get certified for a 9/11-related illness."

On February 19 — before the contract was restored — the New York Times' Corey Kilgannon reported that "a coalition of congressional Republicans from the New York area rebuked" Trump for cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program.

In their February 19 letter to Trump, seven GOP lawmakers, including Malliotakis, told the president, "As strong supporters of this crucial health program, we are committed to ensuring that the Program has the adequate tools and resources to continue to provide the health care and medical monitoring as was originally intended."

Kilgannon noted, "On Monday, (February 17), New York’s Democratic senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, issued a letter demanding the cuts be restored. The initial reaction from Republicans was more muted, but by Wednesday, as it became clearer that the blowback to the firings was widespread, the Republican resistance grew more vocal, especially from districts in and around New York City, where the memory of 9/11 still resonates powerfully."

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