Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services minister, admitted making a “mistake” by cutting down the system that serves the first responders on September 11, but he shied away from questions about whether he would profit it to total personnel.
Sen. Andy Kim, D-NJ, informed RFK Jr. that the approaching Trump administration’s attempt to make drastic, across-the-board spending reductions was an error in firing numerous staff members at the World Trade Center Health Program.
At a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, Kennedy said,” It was one of the total funds breaks that were going to be painful.” I reversed the statement,” Some of them should not have been made. We committed a few errors.
Kennedy stated that the “program did proceed” and that he had made the decision to rescind the job cuts.
Kennedy dodged Kim’s question about whether the WTC Health Program will transfer to full personnel despite the explanation.
Additionally, he declined to undertake to restoring money for the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer, another important tool for first firefighters who became ill after serving at Ground Zero in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
” We think that this Congress should support out soldiers at the World Trade Center,” Kim said.” On the list of items on the list are things that we think are nonpartisan and unanimous.”
Kennedy “remains committed to supporting the 9 / 11 Workers ‘ Health Program and may stop working with President Trump to reshuffle essential plan officials and staff members,” according to Kennedy. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the News that he “refused to,” but he did.
After Trump entered the White House and even after Kennedy agreed to reinstate the system in March, there was a nonpartisan protest that hampered the 9-11 health plan for months.
The president’s inability to fully restore Dr. James Howard’s authority, which was only recently made possible after Democratic and Republican legislators both publicly voiced their opposition once two weeks ago, crippled it.
The reconstruction of the breaks is questioned by 9/11 advocates because it won’t be permanent.
” This is a national test of whether we really meant it when we said, “never forget,”” said Michael Barasch, an attorney who has represented the first responders on September 11. ” Kennedy has a chance to put an end to the governmental cruelty and restore health to the September 11 society.”
In March, Dr. Howard and a number of other staff members were fired as part of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s broad plan to reduce national spending.
The White House announced at the time that it was reversing the personnel cuts and re-signing Howard after a flurry of republican protest.
But it didn’t actually take action until earlier May when a , the front page Daily News scoop , revealed that Howard’s position had been left in purgatory, that new members were not being enrolled in the plan, and that treatment plans were not being approved. Recent cancer treatments prevented the three FDNY people from getting treatment plans approved.
Following the latest round of censure, the health program resumed enrollment and certifications for treatments. Howard was fully reinstated in his position. The employees have been informed that they won’t be fired at all, at least for the time being.
The software provides health care to about 137, 000 first firefighters and survivors who suffered injuries and illnesses as a result of the waste that swirled around Ground Zero during September 11 and the weeks that followed.
About 83, 000 people were exposed to the World Trade Center’s terrorist attacks, the Pentagon’s seized plane crashes, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania’s and Pentagon’s attacks, and have at least one confirmed 9/11 disease.
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