The Sequester and How It Might Have Affected the 9/11 Programs

The Sequester

The imposition of significant cuts as part of the “Sequester” to the two programs created by the James Zadroga Act of 2010, the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was threatened but with the passage of the Reauthorization of the James Zadroga Act in 2015, the impact of those cuts has been mitigated.

The “Sequester”, the Government wide cuts to government programs that was part of the budget agreement in 2012 resulted in the following cuts in the funding of the two programs created by the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act in 2010.

These cuts total $69 million for the World Trade Center (WTC) Health program and $166 million for the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund (VCF).

With the passage of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization the impact of these cuts have been mitigated and future sequesters will NOT impact the Zadroga programs.

Since the World Trade Center Health Program now has full funding for the next 75 years due to the reauthorization, the cuts required by the sequester will not have impact on the delivery of health care to injured and ill 9/11 responders and survivors.

The impact of the cut of 166 million dollars to the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund should be mitigated by the additional 4.6 billion dollars provided to the VCF as part of the reauthorization.

Also as part of the Reauthorization, both programs, the WTC Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund have now been made exempt from any future sequesters that might be imposed.

Sequester Blog Posts

The “Sequester” is Here and It is Cutting the Funding of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Programs, an update
Posted by Peg Seminario, Safety and Health Director for the AFL-CIO | April 10, 2013 In October, I wrote “What is “sequester” and why is it threatening to cut the funding of the 9/11 Health and Compensation Programs?”  Well the “sequester” is now here and it is cutting both of the 9/11 programs. My article … Continue reading →

What is “sequester” and why is it threatening to cut the funding of the 9/11 health and compensation programs?
Posted by Peg Seminario, Safety and Health Director for the AFL-CIO | October 9, 2012 The short version is that sequestration is the automatic, across the board, budget cut for government programs that goes into effect January 2013, unless Congress acts to delay the cuts or reaches some other agreement to address the federal deficit. Continue reading →

Sequester News Clips

Peeved SI pol in 9/11 diss
June 6, 2013
Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm is refusing to back a bill that would end the sequestration of 9/11 victims’ compensation funds because he wasn’t invited to a press conference, according to an organizer.

Sequester Swipes 9/11 Compensation To Pay Down Deficit
March 6, 2013
The victims and survivors of 9/11 are being forced again to sacrifice — this time by the sequestration budget cuts that are dipping into revenue set aside for ailing first responders and using it for deficit reduction. Continue reading →

Gillibrand, Schumer, King, Maloney, Nadler, First Responders Urge Congress to Avoid Looming Automatic Across-the-Board Budget Ax – Including Deep Cuts to 9/11 Zadroga Program, Federal Aid to Hurricane Sandy Victims
February 28, 2013
With the deadline nearing for Congress to negotiate a balanced deficit-cutting package or face deep automatic cuts across federal programs – known as sequestration – U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer, were joined today by U.S. Representatives Peter King, Carolyn Maloney, Jerrold Nadler, 9/11 first responders and survivors in urging their colleagues to negotiate a responsible package to replace the sequester before the devastating cuts, including $3 billion in federal aid to Hurricane Sandy victims and $27 million to the James Zadroga 9/11 Health Continue reading →

Gillibrand, Schumer, Maloney, Nadler, King, 9/11 First Responders and Survivors Call on Feds to Protect Zadroga Funds from Looming Sequester Cuts
October 15, 2012
With the deadline nearing for Congress to negotiate a balanced deficit-cutting package or face deep automatic cuts across federal programs, memebrs of Congress hold a press conference with first responders and survivors. Continue reading →

Congress should think twice before sequestering Zadroga Act funding
October 3, 2012
Congress is primed to chip away at money set aside to treat and compensate people who got sick after clearing debris at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. Continue reading →

Gillibrand, Schumer, Maloney, King, Nadler Press Feds to Protect Zadroga Funds from Any Sequester Cuts
September 28, 2012
U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), joined by Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Peter King (R-NY), and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) today urged the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to preserve funding for the critical 9/11 health programs that were passed into law under the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act should any sequestration budget cuts go into effect next year. Continue reading →

Congress’ Sequester Raids 9/11 Treatment And Compensation Funds To Cut Deficit
September 18, 2012
Lawmakers vowed to “never forget” 9/11 again last week, but it appears many already had — in the budget sequester legislation Congress passed last summer to try and cut the deficit. Continue reading →

Sequester Documents

Last updated: April 26, 2022