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19 years of 9/11: Trump govt slammed as reports say they secretly siphoned off funds from FDNY health program

On the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, people are remembering the World Trade Center, with many taking to Twitter to express their thoughts and pay tribute

It’s the 19th anniversary of the devastating 9/11 attacks that marked the beginning of a new era in international politics. September 11, 2001, remains an unforgettable date in history worldwide. In the early morning of this date, the United States witnessed terrible air-borne terror attacks that laid to dust its iconic twin towers of the World Trade Centre. 19 militants from the Islamic militant outfit Al Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes and turned them into guided missiles to conduct a slew of attacks on the nation.
 
Two of those planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, razing them to the ground. The third plane left some impact on the Pentagon outside Washington DC, while the fourth fell short of its target by crashing in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was suspected that the fourth was headed for the White House, US Capitol, or the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the devastating attacks while several thousand others were left injured.

The anniversary of the terror attacks comes amid a report in The New York Daily News suggesting that the Trump administration has secretly siphoned nearly $4 million away from a program that helps and treats FDNY firefighters and medics suffering from 9/11 related illnesses. The Treasury Department reportedly started withholding parts of payments meant to cover medical services for firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics treated by the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program. The payments started dropping nearly four years ago.

According to The New York Daily News, the payments were approved and made by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which supervises the health program. However, instead of sending the funds to the city, the Treasury started keeping some of the money from the program. FDNY World Trade Center Health Program Director Dr David Prezant told the outlet that the money disappeared "without any notification."

“Here we have sick World Trade Center-exposed firefighters and EMS workers, at a time when the city is having difficult financial circumstances due to COVID-19, and we’re not getting the money we need to be able to treat these heroes,” Prezant told The New York Daily News. The health program was made by Congress and the government to be self-sufficient. The lack of reimbursement means Prezant may have to do less to support those in need, although the program was designed to be extremely cost-efficient.

On social media also, the lack of funds for the first responders brought on quite a bit of heat for the Trump admin, as one said: "This administration just gets worse and worse and these are what we know about think about what we don’t know!"

Another called it unacceptable as they tweeted: "19 years ago we suffered an unimaginable tragedy. We saw the best of humanity on display as the FDNY & others rushed to help others. To find out on the eve of 9/11 the Trump regime siphoned nearly $4 million from the FDNY 9/11 health program for our heroes is 
UNACCEPTABLE!" Another said: "He also stole from 9/11 victims fund with his fraudulent insurance scam, got caught before election never givin the $10K he said he gave to the 9/11 Twin Towers Fund which went to FDNY/1st Responders so plz let’s not pretend Trump doesn’t have a history here with robbing NY."

 While the Trump admin was facing flak for The New York Daily News report which stated that they secretly siphoned nearly $4 million away from a program, there were quite a  few who took to Twitter to also pay tribute to the fallen heroes of September 11. A user tweeted, “Lights illuminate the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and for the first time, the Flight 93 memorial. #NeverForget.”

Another one wrote, “2,977 people died and more than 6,000 others were injured. 265 on the four planes, 2,606 in the World Trade Center and 125 at the Pentagon. 343 firefighters and 71 law enforcement officers #NeverForget911.”

“19 years ago 2 planes were crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in NY, RIP to 2976 American Flag of United States who lost their lives on 9/11 & RIP to 80,644 Afghans Flag of Afghanistan, 1,690,903 Iraqi Flag of Iraq & 80,000 Pakistani Flag of Pakistan who paid the ultimate price for a crime they didn't commit. Broken heart #9/11,” one person tweeted.

Another seemingly emotional user tweeted, “9/11: We will never forget the people who lost their lives and everyone affected 19 years ago today on the 11th September 2001. @allontheboard #NeverForget #September11 #911Anniversary #NeverForget911 #911Memorial #WorldTradeCenter #OnThisDay #allontheboard.”

“The World Trade Center as it looked on September 10, 2001. #NeverForget,” a user remembered, along with a picture of the World Trade Center.

MEA World Wide (MEAWW) cannot independently verify and does not support the claims made on the Internet