'It Is Revolting': Schumer Torches RFK Jr. After Firings At 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program

4/2/2025

During remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the Trump Administration overseeing layoffs at the World Trade Center Health Program.

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Transcript

00:00Now, another thing that is just infuriating is what they're doing to the 9-11 families.

00:09Donald Trump's assault on the American people takes another sinister turn this week.

00:15It is revolting that Senator Kennedy, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,

00:22has now fired staffers at the World Trade Center health program, including its administrator,

00:29Dr. John Howard, a Trump appointee who dedicated his life to serving 9-11 families

00:35and who is respected by all sides of the aisle.

00:39As of right now, Senator Kennedy has effectively shut the World Trade Center health program down.

00:46This is a betrayal, a betrayal of the 9-11 families.

00:53I am sending Secretary Kennedy a letter to immediately undo this terrible, terrible decision.

01:03This is not a mistake.

01:06Some of the Republicans who care about the 9-11 program are saying it's a mistake.

01:12It is on purpose.

01:15Now, when I met Secretary Kennedy, then he was the nominee,

01:19he made a commitment to me, an unequivocal commitment,

01:23that he would protect the World Trade Center health program.

01:27These firings break that promise,

01:30and I am calling on Secretary Kennedy to answer for this betrayal of 9-11 families.

01:37I'm sending him a letter about it, as I mentioned.

01:40None of these cuts have anything to do with efficiency.

01:45This is right-wing extremism, pure and simple,

01:48and this hurts our brave first responders and others

01:52who risked life and limb on 9-11, who rushed to the tower.

01:56They're suffering.

01:58They're getting cancers from the gunk they breathed in

02:01when they ran to the towers to help protect us and help us.

02:05You want to cut that off?

02:07To these heroes?

02:09How un-American can that be?

02:12How vicious, how nasty, how callous.

02:16We're abandoning the people who ran to the towers.

02:20It's not efficiency, it's cruelty, it's meanness,

02:25and fundamentally it is anti-American.

02:28We always defend those who have risked their lives to defend and help us.

02:33All of a sudden, that seems to be out the window

02:36when it comes to the 9-11 responders.

02:39These are our heroes.

02:43Secretary Kennedy and Donald Trump should not betray them.

02:47Donald Trump and RFK should not pull the rug out

02:51from these families who so desperately need this health care.

'It Is Revolting': Schumer Torches RFK Jr. After Firings At 9/11 World Trade Center Health Program

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