WTC Health Program's John Howard to return for an additional term
Dr. John Howard has managed the nation's health response for 9/11 first responders and survivors for more than two decades. Credit: Getty Images/Win McNamee
WASHINGTON — The head of the federal World Trade Center Health Program, Dr. John Howard, has been reappointed to another six-year term after a bipartisan push by New York lawmakers to extend the longtime administrator's post.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) were among more than two dozen members of Congress who in a July letter urged the Trump administration to renew Howard's appointment before his term expired in November, arguing that doing so "would send a powerful message of continued support for 9/11 responders and survivors."
Garbarino confirmed the reappointment in a statement Wednesday, saying he is "grateful that Dr. Howard will continue this important work."
"Responders and survivors deserve stability, certainty and a program that will be there for them for years to come," Garbarino said. "I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Howard to make sure they receive the care and support they have earned."
The reappointment, just days before the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, comes as the program — established in 2011 to provide healthcare to those who have fallen ill from their exposure to the toxic attack sites — has grappled with staffing shortages and rising demand to join the program.
The program currently serves 150,000 people contending with cancer, respiratory diseases and other chronic illnesses linked to their exposure to the toxins. Advocates believe there are many more who may be eligible but are unaware of the program, including those who were children evacuated from nearby schools and daycare centers at the time of the attacks.
Howard was fired abruptly in April 2025 as part of the widespread federal government layoffs pushed by President Donald Trump at the start of his second term. But he was reinstated weeks later amid a pressure campaign from Garbarino and other New York lawmakers who argued his leadership was critical to the program's success.
As director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Howard has managed the nation's health response for 9/11 first responders and survivors for more than two decades. He was first appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 to lead the response before the World Trade Center Health Program was created, and has since presided over the WTC program under presidents from both parties.
Ben Chevat, executive director of the nonprofit 9/11 Health Watch, called the reappointment "a good first step," but urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resolve other issues with the program, including the looming loss of $13 million in 9/11 research funds due to delays in processing grant requests this past year.
"After 18 months of communication blackouts, delays in care and processing certifications and staff firings, rehiring staff and firing them again, we hope that this decision to reappoint Dr. Howard is a sign that you want the World Trade Center Health Program to be able to do its job providing healthcare and medical monitoring to 9/11 responders and survivors," Chevat said.
Laura Figueroa Hernandez is the White House correspondent and previously covered New York City politics and government. She joined Newsday in 2012 after covering state and local politics for The Miami Herald.
LIers reflect on how 9/11 impacts them to this day Twenty-five years ago, the deadliest terrorist attacks on U.S. soil occured. Long Islanders tell us how 9/11 has shaped them.
LIers reflect on how 9/11 impacts them to this day Twenty-five years ago, the deadliest terrorist attacks on U.S. soil occured. Long Islanders tell us how 9/11 has shaped them.
