Millions of dollars taken from New York 9/11 veterans over city debts to White House

The Treasury Department secretly withheld nearly $ 4 million from the 9/11 FDNY health program. All because of other debts of New York to the federal government, the department explained. The details are shared by the publication CNN.

Treasury chief Steve Mnuchin admitted that his department withdrew $ 3,92 million from the 9/11 FDNY health program since 2004. The reason is New York's debts to the federal government, according to a letter addressed to the mayor of the city, Bill de Blasio.

The 9/11 FDNY program provides assistance to FDNY firefighters and medics affected by the September 11, 2001 tragedy. We are talking about people who were the first to rush to help the victims of the terrorist attack. Today, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they especially need help with covering the cost of medical services.

The letter clarifies that the city has received a detailed report on all debts since 2004, but their details are not disclosed.

"New York firefighters are waiting for the actions of the head of the department, Mnuchin," said the mayor's press secretary. "If the Trump administration supports the fearless men and women who keep Americans safe, then it's time to prove it to them."

The move comes after New York City's Peter King announced last month that the Treasury Department had withheld about $ 1,5 million from the health program from the beginning of this year to early September.

The FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association and several officials have appealed to the Treasury to rectify the situation and still pay the money to the first responders to the 11/17 attacks. “Can I blame the head of the finance department, Mnuchin? I guess I can't, because this has been going on for 14 years. But I would be grateful to him for correcting the situation, ”Andrew Ansbro, president of the FDNY firefighters association, said at a press conference on October 11. "They may be chasing New York's debt somewhere else, but capitalizing on New York firefighters suffering from XNUMX/XNUMX illnesses is unacceptable."

The letter, sent last Thursday, was also sent to 30 New York state officials, including Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, another Democrat who, according to his office, has been in correspondence with the Treasury in an attempt to resolve the issue. ...

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The FDNY World Trade Center Health Program helps provide comprehensive physical and mental health services to all active and retired FDNY members who helped free the aftermath of 11/XNUMX at the risk of their own lives. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing funding for the program.

Ansbro, who was one of the first to provide support to the victims of the terrorist attack, said such persons still feel a lack of funds, especially during a pandemic. “The lack of funding directly limits the program's ability to hire doctors. The number of firefighters receiving treatment under the program is growing every day, and members of the program who were unable to see a doctor due to the COVID-19 pandemic require treatment right now, ”Ansbro said at a press conference.

In the letter, Mnuchin agreed that city firefighters should not suffer the consequences of the federal debt strife, but still said the city should correct the funding gap. "The Department of Health has concluded that it has no authority to reimburse past payments to the FDNY to pay off New York's debts," Mnuchin wrote. - We agree that it is unfair to burden the FDNY with overdue debts from other New York government agencies. The city government must pay direct damages to FDNY. ”

Mnuchin noted that if the New York government does not compensate for the deficit of almost $ 4 million, then his department can free up funds for the FDNY program by offsetting this amount against future federal payments to be made to the city.

House Democratic Committee Chairman Richard Neal and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone wrote a letter to Mnuchin on October 13, demanding that funds be returned to the program. "When it comes to providing the necessary treatment for the first responders to 11/XNUMX, any delay that affects such assistance is simply unacceptable," the letter said.

Also in their letter, Neil and Pallone asked for clarification on why the Treasury believes it lacks the authority to release the millions of dollars owed to the 9/11 FDNY health program. In addition, they are wondering if the Treasury has approached Medicare and Medicaid with a request to release money that is currently being set off from the FDNY. Neil and Pallone asked the department to respond by October 20.