WASHINGTON — Two months ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reappoint Dr. John Howard to another six-year term as director of NIOSH and administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., initiated the letter, which was signed by 26 members of Congress, according to a press release from Garbarino’s office. The lawmakers cited Howard’s leadership of the WTC Health Program and noted that Congress recently secured lifetime funding for the program to ensure that responders and survivors continue to receive care.
“Twenty-five years after September 11th, New Yorkers know our responsibility to the responders and survivors who answered the call has never ended,” Garbarino said. “Congress recently secured funding for the World Trade Center Health Program for the lifetime of the program, ensuring those who continue to suffer from the health effects of 9/11 will receive the care they have earned for years to come. Dr. Howard has dedicated more than two decades to serving the 9/11 community, and we owe him our sincere thanks for that commitment. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the attacks, reappointing Dr. Howard will provide the continuity and stability the Program deserves.”
The World Trade Center Health Program provides medical care to more than 140,000 9/11 responders and survivors nationwide. Lawmakers said the recently secured lifetime funding resolves the program’s projected funding shortfall and removes any perceived financial constraints to rehiring Dr. Howard.
“Honoring our promise to ‘never forget’ means protecting healthcare for 9/11 first responders and survivors,” Gillibrand said. “Dr. Howard has dedicated his career to ensuring that 9/11 heroes get the specialized care they need to cope with the long-term health effects of toxic exposure. Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks, the Trump administration must reappoint Dr. Howard to guarantee that survivors keep the care and stability that they deserve.”
In the letter, lawmakers acknowledged recent HHS efforts to address staffing shortages, delayed research grants and pending coverage petitions, while urging Kennedy to reappoint Howard to ensure continuity at the program.
The push to reappoint Howard follows more than a year of upheaval at NIOSH and the World Trade Center Health Program. In spring 2025, the Trump administration announced plans to lay off roughly two-thirds of NIOSH staff as part of a broader HHS restructuring. Howard was initially among those slated for termination, prompting bipartisan opposition from lawmakers who warned that the cuts could disrupt the certification of 9/11-related health conditions and other services for responders and survivors.
HHS reversed Howard’s termination in April 2025 following that backlash, but questions remained about the program’s staffing and ability to operate normally. Weeks later, advocates and FDNY officials said many employees had not returned and that treatment approvals and enrollment were being delayed. HHS maintained at the time that services to members had not been affected.
Kennedy later acknowledged during a congressional hearing that some of the WTC Health Program firings had been a mistake and said the cuts had been reversed. Staffing concerns nevertheless continued into 2026, even as Congress secured permanent funding for the program.
Read the letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:
