Democrats demand answers from Kennedy over delayed actions of 9/11 health program

Ahead of the 24th anniversary of 9/11, Democrats are demanding answers from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Ahead of the 24th anniversary of 9/11, Democrats are demanding answers from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about the future of the federal World Trade Center Health Program, which covers treatment for 9/11-related illnesses such as cancer and chronic coughs.

In a letter to Kennedy on Wednesday, obtained exclusively by NBC News, six Democratic senators expressed concern that the program was not abiding by a mandate to evaluate whether additional health conditions should be eligible for the program’s medical coverage.

Over the last eight months, the program has been plagued by funding shortages and staffing cuts (some staffers have been fired and rehired multiple times), leading to sometimes monthslong wait times for survivors seeking appointments, which can delay critical, life-saving diagnoses and treatment.

The attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon released toxic debris and chemicals that have been linked to a range of health issues, including asthma, leukemia and prostate and thyroid cancers. The World Trade Center Health Program covers the cost of monitoring and treatment of these illnesses both for 9/11 responders and for people who lived, worked or attended school or day care in the disaster area. Some people join the program after illnesses have developed, while others join to receive annual screenings that could detect illnesses early.

By the end of last year, the federal program had set a March deadline to decide whether to include certain autoimmune, cardiac and cognitive conditions in its list of covered illnesses — but that deadline came and went, the senators wrote in their letter.