When retired FDNY Deputy Chief Richard Alles and Michael Barasch, one of the lead lawyers fighting for the 9/11 community, learned they had cancer they weren’t surprised.
"It's not a question of if but when you're going to get sick. It's a guarantee. I never had any doubt,” Alles told Scripps News Group.
Both Alles and Barasch were at or close to Ground Zero the day of the attacks. Both men now have prostate cancer, a disease that people like them are 25% more likely of being diagnosed with compared to the general population.
“My cancer had no symptoms yet was picked up on a simple blood test,” Alles said.
That test had been administered through the World Trade Center Health program, a federal program that provides first responders and survivors with free annual health exams and treatment for 9/11-related health conditions.
However, as of February, the program's future remains unclear. Major cuts carried out by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) threaten to interrupt life-saving care for more than 130,000 people across the country who are enrolled in the program. Advocates like Alles and Barasch, along with other first responders and survivors are fighting to keep the program alive.
The program, which is run by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), lost hundreds of employees as part of the cuts, including its administrator, Dr James Howard, who was appointed during President Donald Trump’s first term in office. Howard was reinstated after bipartisan backlash, but that reversal did not include other employees.
"This health program saves lives and by reducing and cutting the great doctors and nurses who work for this health program, you're going cause great delays in getting an appointment," Barasch said.
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Barash, whose office is still two blocks from the World Trade Center, has been fighting for programs geared to supporting the 9/11 community. Years after his client James Zadroga, an NYPD officer, died of a respiratory illness that was found linked to the 9/11 attack, the James Zadroga ACT was signed into law, creating the WTC Health Program.
Thousands of people like Zadroga had been exposed to toxins that swirled in the air, Barasch said. Doctors at the WTC Health Program have linked those toxins to at least 69 cancers and other medical conditions. Currently, more people have died from illnesses linked to 9/11 than those who died during the attacks.
"Altogether, there were 500,000 people exposed to the dust, not just on 9/11, but in the eight months that followed when they were still doing the recovery efforts and cleaning up, dust was spewing everywhere," said Barasch, who also has skin cancer.
But both Barasch and Alles told Scripps News Group many civilians are not aware of their potential exposure or treatment they could receive.
"There's a few hundred thousand people that were exposed, may not even be with us anymore and had no idea that this law or these programs exist,” Alles said.
“While over 85% of 100,000 responders are enrolled in this free nationwide health program, less than 10% of the civilians are enrolled," Barasch added. “The most common reasons I hear why people didn't call me earlier is they think the program is just for firefighters and cops. Or they feel guilty, and they don't want to take away from first responders."
The two men travel the country sharing information about the program. They worry that cuts would deter 9/11 survivors from getting the help they may not know they need.
“I'm all in favor of cutting waste. I think these budget cuts, when they are deserved, they should be cut. But not on the backs of the 9-11 community," Barasch said.
While the federal health program had one of its biggest breakthroughs in 2015, when former President Barack Obama reauthorized it until 2090, both Barasch and Alles have continued to make countless trips to Washington, urging Congress to approve additional funding. They are pushing for legislation that would ensure long-term funding and a reversal of DOGE cuts.
“We have a program that's in effect that took a long time to pass that works, is benefiting Americans. Let's continue the program,” Alles said.
