NEW YORK — First responders who have 9/11-related illnesses have suffered another blow.
Funding for the World Trade Center Health Program past 2027 was excluded from the federal budget on Friday as Congress scrambled to avert a government shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a statement, saying, in part, “Republicans must stand up for these heroes and pass 9/11 health funding once and for all when the new Congress begins.”
“Get back into the capital and do your job,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul added in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
- Read more : Lawmakers sound alarm, say billions of dollars needed to keep World Trade Center Health Program running
Firefighters unions fume over the lack of action
Members of New York City’s bravest gathered Sunday outside ground zero, alongside a Christmas tree decorated with the faces of 343 firefighters who died on Sept. 11, 2001, a reminder to Congress the promise to never forget.