‘We’re all ticking time bombs’: Budget cuts gut 9/11 health protections as community braces for crisis

(NEW YORK) -- The 9/11 health program that monitors and treats thousands of people exposed to toxic dust during the 2001 terrorist attack is under threat — again.

A wave of staffing cuts and agency turmoil has thrown the World Trade Center Health Program into crisis, disrupting a system that has provided life-saving care to tens of thousands of people for more than two decades.

Experts warn that cancer diagnoses could be delayed, mental health needs could go unmet and the federal government would break its promise to "never forget."

"This isn't about politics — it's about humanity," said John Feal, a former 9/11 responder and founder of the FealGood Foundation. "We're not going away. We're going to keep coming back until they do the right thing."

At the center of the controversy is a series of staffing cuts within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the agency that certifies 9/11-related illnesses as valid and oversees the World Trade Center Health Program, which administers care to first responders and survivors of the 2001 terrorist attack in lower Manhattan.

Earlier this year, a 20% staffing cut to the World Trade Health Center Program led to the termination of 16 doctors and nurses, reducing the clinical team to 72, Feal explained.

After a bipartisan outcry, those positions were reinstated in February.

But in April, a second round of cuts eliminated another 16 staffers. Whether those cuts involved any of the reinstated individuals from the first cut is unknown, but they left the program roiling and once again undermined its ability to provide timely care.

In addition to the second round of cuts in April, Dr. John Howard, the longtime program leader, was also removed. He was then quickly reinstated after political pressure.

More than 150,000 people are currently enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, up from about 76,000 in 2015.

The program had been preparing to grow its staff to meet rising demand. Instead, it is now struggling to function, according to Michael Barasch, a lawyer with Barasch & McGarry, a firm that represents thousands of 9/11 first responders and survivors.

Barasch told ABC News that patients are waiting six to eight months for appointments.

"This is a program with zero fraud that only does one thing: It saves lives," Barasch said. "Mark my words: People will die without it."

Toxic dust from the attacks contained a dangerous mix of chemicals and debris: asbestos, ground glass, benzene, chromium, lead. Those exposed — first responders, recovery workers, office staff, students, residents — potentially face higher rates of at least 69 cancers, as well as respiratory disease and post-traumatic stress.

"If he had it in his lungs, so does everybody else," Barasch said, referring to NYPD Detective James Zadroga, whose death at age 34 in 2006 was linked to inhaling the hazardous air. "So we're all ticking time bombs."

The World Trade Center Health Program was established through the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which was permanently reauthorized in 2015.

But funding projections failed to account for medical inflation or growing enrollment. A bipartisan bill known as HR 1410 would fix the shortfall, but it remains stalled in Congress.

Feal said he thought the system isn't just overwhelmed — it's collapsing.

"We've built a program that saves lives and gives people dignity," he said. "Letting it fall apart now dishonors everyone who ran toward danger that day."

Barasch noted that many lawmakers — especially those outside of New York — may not realize the scope of the damage or how many of their own constituents are affected.

"People in all 50 states are enrolled in the program," he said. "Thousands of them no longer live near the original attack sites. They need care where they are." He urged everyone to call their senators and representatives and remind them of the promise made to the 9/11 community.

In meetings on Capitol Hill with lawmakers this week, Feal said he and other advocates seem to have found a sympathetic audience. Even so, he remains skeptical: "They listen — but will they act? That's the question."

An HHS spokesperson told ABC News in an email: "The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program’s Clinical Centers of Excellence and Nationwide Provider Network are continuing to provide services to program members at this time. The program continues to accept and review new enrollment applications and certification requests."

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