DOGE Terminates Federal Contract for 9/11 Research
Last week, researchers involved in the Career Firefighter Health Study were informed of the termination of the CDC contract.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — The cancellation of a $257,000 federal contract for research on diseases related to 9/11 by the Trump administration faced intense backlash from New York Democrats on Thursday.
This contract was intended to fund data processing aimed at comparing cancer rates between firefighters who were exposed to toxins from the World Trade Center and those in three other U.S. cities who were not.
According to FDNY officials, researchers involved in the Career Firefighter Health Study received notification last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the contract’s termination.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic Representative Ritchie Torres, who is considering a gubernatorial run, highlighted the involvement of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE).
The cancellation is noted on DOGE’s self-styled wall of receipts showcasing its initiatives to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” as outlined in an executive order by President Donald Trump.
“‘Never forget’ isn’t a slogan, it’s a promise to our firefighters, police officers, and all the first responders who ran into danger on 9/11,” Hochul stated on X, a platform owned by Musk. “We’ll fight like hell to stop Elon Musk and his cronies from breaking that promise.”
Last year, the number of FDNY firefighters who passed away from 9/11-related illnesses exceeded the number who lost their lives on the day of the attacks.
In a post on X, Torres referred to DOGE and labeled the cancellation as “absolutely disgraceful.”
Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan added, “Any response yet, Donald & Elon?”
Requests for comments from representatives for DOGE and the CDC went unanswered.
FDNY Chief Medical Officer David Prezant indicated in an email that the contract was deemed “non-essential because the outputs from the contract are not statutorily required.”
However, Prezant pointed out that the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010—establishing a medical monitoring and treatment program for 9/11-related health conditions—includes a mandate for research. This act was reauthorized in 2019 and signed into law by Trump during his presidency.
“This is not the program to cut,” Prezant remarked during an interview, noting he was present at Ground Zero. “These are heroes that ran into that building, ran into that site after the building collapsed. All they asked in return is that, if we prove they have a problem, that we’d take care of them.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is campaigning for mayor, expressed on X that 9/11 responders are “heroes, not Elon Musk’s political pawns.” Another mayoral candidate, state Senator Zellnor Myrie, termed the news “reprehensible.”
New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker stated that the cancellation “will hinder our efforts to provide treatment coverage for new conditions, which is a tragedy for all Americans who swore they would never forget.” The New York Times had previously reported on the contract's cancellation.
Researchers intend to leverage findings from the study to support their broader initiatives to qualify new conditions as 9/11-related, thereby making treatments eligible for coverage under the World Trade Center Health Program.
Oren Barzilay, president of the FDNY EMS Local 2507 union, characterized the withdrawal of funds as a “detrimental decision.”
“Thousands of FDNY EMTs and firefighters responded that day and hundreds are dealing with 9/11 illnesses and diseases still being discovered over 20 years later,” he stated on Thursday. “Taking away research benefiting their health is severe and un-American to a community that we promise every day to never forget.”
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
This contract was intended to fund data processing aimed at comparing cancer rates between firefighters who were exposed to toxins from the World Trade Center and those in three other U.S. cities who were not.
According to FDNY officials, researchers involved in the Career Firefighter Health Study received notification last week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the contract’s termination.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Democratic Representative Ritchie Torres, who is considering a gubernatorial run, highlighted the involvement of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE).
The cancellation is noted on DOGE’s self-styled wall of receipts showcasing its initiatives to “maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” as outlined in an executive order by President Donald Trump.
“‘Never forget’ isn’t a slogan, it’s a promise to our firefighters, police officers, and all the first responders who ran into danger on 9/11,” Hochul stated on X, a platform owned by Musk. “We’ll fight like hell to stop Elon Musk and his cronies from breaking that promise.”
Last year, the number of FDNY firefighters who passed away from 9/11-related illnesses exceeded the number who lost their lives on the day of the attacks.
In a post on X, Torres referred to DOGE and labeled the cancellation as “absolutely disgraceful.”
Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan added, “Any response yet, Donald & Elon?”
Requests for comments from representatives for DOGE and the CDC went unanswered.
FDNY Chief Medical Officer David Prezant indicated in an email that the contract was deemed “non-essential because the outputs from the contract are not statutorily required.”
However, Prezant pointed out that the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010—establishing a medical monitoring and treatment program for 9/11-related health conditions—includes a mandate for research. This act was reauthorized in 2019 and signed into law by Trump during his presidency.
“This is not the program to cut,” Prezant remarked during an interview, noting he was present at Ground Zero. “These are heroes that ran into that building, ran into that site after the building collapsed. All they asked in return is that, if we prove they have a problem, that we’d take care of them.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is campaigning for mayor, expressed on X that 9/11 responders are “heroes, not Elon Musk’s political pawns.” Another mayoral candidate, state Senator Zellnor Myrie, termed the news “reprehensible.”
New York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker stated that the cancellation “will hinder our efforts to provide treatment coverage for new conditions, which is a tragedy for all Americans who swore they would never forget.” The New York Times had previously reported on the contract's cancellation.
Researchers intend to leverage findings from the study to support their broader initiatives to qualify new conditions as 9/11-related, thereby making treatments eligible for coverage under the World Trade Center Health Program.
Oren Barzilay, president of the FDNY EMS Local 2507 union, characterized the withdrawal of funds as a “detrimental decision.”
“Thousands of FDNY EMTs and firefighters responded that day and hundreds are dealing with 9/11 illnesses and diseases still being discovered over 20 years later,” he stated on Thursday. “Taking away research benefiting their health is severe and un-American to a community that we promise every day to never forget.”
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
