In an emotional interview with CNN, political activist and 9/11 first responder John Feal has condemned Donald Trump and Elon Musk for making cuts to the federal workforce within the World Trade Center Health Program, which puts the health of 9/11 first responders at risk.
Feal, who was a demolition supervisor at Ground Zero, sustained a major injury after a steel beam crushed his foot. After developing gangrene, and then sepsis, his foot required partial amputation. Unfortunately, because his injuries occurred outside of the 96-hour window, Feal was denied compensation. As a result, Feal has dedicated his life to advocating for emergency personnel by lobbying the government and educating people through his FealGood Foundation.
In the interview conducted by CNN’s Stephanie Elam, the former 9/11 firefighter didn’t hold back his thoughts on the current Trump administration and their controversial cost-cutting measures. “You know, Donald Trump signed our bill in 2019. Turned to me, shook my hand, gave me the sharpie [pen] that he signed the bill with, and he said: ‘Nobody deserves this more than you, you worked harder than anybody.’ And for him to callously and recklessly allow Elon Musk to do this to us. His words are shallow and meaningless to me now.“
Going even further, Feal’s emotional plea continued: “I’m disappointed, but I’m hopeful they reverse this because there’s going to be a lot of harm done to a lot of people who are already suffering. Shame on Elon Musk. Shame on Robert Kennedy Junior. It’s just common sense. This is reckless. It’s inhumane. It’s cruel and it lacks empathy and it lacks humanity. I mean, what’s their endgame? Let’s see how mean we can be? How much can we hurt human beings. This is right and wrong.“
Essentially, the Trump administration recently fired sixteen probationary staff members at the World Trade Center Health Program as part of layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to ABC News. These firings comprise of a 20% reduction in staff that helps to administer the World Trade Center Health Program, which was set up to provide support and medical treatment to 9/11 emergency staff and survivors. The number of those affected amount to around 140,000 survivors, including 12,000 last year alone, per CDC.
