President Trump is said to be exploring ways for the federal government to take control of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan, an idea that has drawn sharp criticism from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“Just months after slashing funding for the World Trade Center Health Program that cares for survivors and first responders, President Trump now wants to take over the 9/11 Memorial Museum,” Hochul said in a statement Friday.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced it would lay off most of the staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which oversees the health program — a decision reversed days later following bipartisan outrage.
Around 137,000 first responders and survivors rely on the WTC Health Program to get treatment and medication for conditions caused by exposure to the toxins that swirled around Ground Zero during 9/11 and the months that followed.
“The 9/11 Memorial belongs to New Yorkers — the families, survivors and first responders who have carried this legacy for more than two decades and ensured we never forget,” Hochul said. “Before he meddles with this sacred site, the president should start by honoring survivors and supporting the families of victims.”
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum opened in 2014 as a “monument to human dignity, courage and sacrifice” whose mission is to honor the nearly 3,000 people killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks and salute rescue and recovery workers.
“[It] stands as a powerful tribute to the victims of the attacks — and to the resilience of the human spirit. Its importance will only grow with each passing year,” said chairman Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor and outspoken Trump critic.
While the White House declined to elaborate on the president’s plans, it confirmed the administration has had “preliminary exploratory discussions” about a possible takeover.
Last year, then-candidate Trump pledged to “make the Ground Zero site at the World Trade Center a national monument protected and maintained by the United States government.”
However, according to Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the move is ill-advised, given the federal government’s current focus on trimming its budget.
“At a time when the federal government is working to cut costs, assuming the full operating expenses for the site makes no sense,” she said in a statement.
Additionally, museum officials say the federal government doesn’t have the power to unilaterally take over the site, which is located on land owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
With News Wire Services
