{"id":1051589,"date":"2025-02-19T15:52:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1051589"},"modified":"2025-02-19T15:52:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T20:52:03","slug":"trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donald Trump\u2019s reckless agenda of arbitrary firings and funding cuts continues to devastate critical programs across the country \u2014 and the American people are paying the price. From firing first responders and gutting health care for 9\/11 victims to making Americans\u2019 (and their beloved pets\u2019) food and drugs less safe, Trump\u2019s agenda is playing political games with people\u2019s lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a look at the most recent impacts of Trump\u2019s reckless and dangerous cuts:  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NBC News<\/a>: \u201cHiring freeze of firefighters could be deadly<\/strong>, Forest Service captain warns\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe federal hiring freeze ordered last month by President Donald Trump will hinder the U.S. Forest Service\u2019s ability to \u2018deliver the lifesaving service that Americans deserve,\u2019 <\/strong>said Capt. Ben McLane, who serves in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, in southern Washington. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHiring federal firefighters is a lengthy process because federal background checks are required, raising concerns among McLane and other high-ranking firefighters that the federal force will be understaffed going into the 2025 fire season<\/strong>, which technically begins next month but in practicality has become year-round. \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs<\/strong> more than 3,000 of his Forest Service colleagues were being laid off last week, McLane said it was important he speak out:<\/strong> \u2018Our nation\u2019s wildfire response system transcends politics, because wildfire transcends politics, and it\u2019s the right thing to do to bring on firefighters and ensure that the public is getting the service that they deserve and that they pay for.\u2019<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

USA Today<\/a>: \u201c9\/11 health program cuts to cause \u2018life and death\u2019 delays,<\/strong> fired worker says\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUp to 20% of staff at the WTC Health Program were impacted by cuts of probationary workers and buyouts.<\/strong> HHS oversees the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which houses the WTC program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe impact is exacerbated, elected officials and fired workers say, by DOGE cuts to scientific research<\/strong> and last year\u2019s scrapping of permanent funding for the WTC program by Congress. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew York City Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker said the program has been a lifeline to 9\/11 responders who later became ill.<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRupa Bhattacharyya, former special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, said WTC Health provides support for people in all 50 states. WTC program cuts mean \u2018that the heroes of 9\/11 will face longer wait times, reduced services, and delays in receiving their compensation\u2019<\/strong> through the VCF, which depends on certifications from WTC Health Program doctors. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are currently 130,000 WTC program members who are monitored, getting treatment, or both.<\/strong>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NPR<\/a>: \u201cFDA staff handling drug safety for pets and livestock lost jobs in Trump firings\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe cuts hit the Center for Veterinary Medicine, an arm of the Food and Drug Administration that regulates the safety and efficacy of drugs, food and medical devices for animals. \u2026 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe center\u2019s work has an impact on many different animals, including household pets<\/strong>, like dogs, cats and hamsters. It\u2019s also responsible for making sure that human food from animals <\/strong>being treated with medications (such as antibiotics and hormones) is safe to eat, including dairy cows, egg-laying hens and other livestock.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Axios<\/a>: \u201cCuts raise questions about science\u2019s future in U.S.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFears are growing within the scientific community that arbitrary firings of government scientists will set back U.S. leadership in a slew of fields.<\/strong> \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe U.S. faces growing competition for science and technology leadership from China<\/strong> in particular. \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[O]pportunities for conducting cutting-edge research using federal assets will almost certainly shrink. And the likelihood of a scientific brain drain to other nations will increase.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump\u2019s reckless agenda of arbitrary firings and funding cuts continues to devastate critical programs across the country \u2014 and the American people are paying the price. From firing first responders and gutting health care for 9\/11 victims to making Americans\u2019 (and their beloved pets\u2019) food and drugs less safe, Trump\u2019s agenda is playing political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1051589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-19T20:52:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-19T20:52:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shelby Reese\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shelby Reese\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/\",\"name\":\"Trump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety - Democrats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-19T20:52:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-19T20:52:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6a79beb4f30710331f5f8ad0cb779d64\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png\",\"width\":1101,\"height\":483},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/\",\"name\":\"Democrats\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6a79beb4f30710331f5f8ad0cb779d64\",\"name\":\"Shelby Reese\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bcc80f34f9bfa5c0480c4230734bb5bd8755daddce48f94e96eaf9e79accfe0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bcc80f34f9bfa5c0480c4230734bb5bd8755daddce48f94e96eaf9e79accfe0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Shelby Reese\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/author\/reeses\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety - Democrats","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_site_name":"Democrats","article_published_time":"2025-02-19T20:52:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-02-19T20:52:03+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Shelby Reese","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shelby Reese","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/","name":"Trump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety - Democrats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024","datePublished":"2025-02-19T20:52:02+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-19T20:52:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6a79beb4f30710331f5f8ad0cb779d64"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png","width":1101,"height":483},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-latest-firings-and-funding-cuts-threaten-first-responders-risk-americans-health-and-safety\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump\u2019s Latest Firings and Funding Cuts Threaten First Responders, Risk Americans\u2019 Health and Safety"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/","name":"Democrats","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/6a79beb4f30710331f5f8ad0cb779d64","name":"Shelby Reese","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bcc80f34f9bfa5c0480c4230734bb5bd8755daddce48f94e96eaf9e79accfe0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1bcc80f34f9bfa5c0480c4230734bb5bd8755daddce48f94e96eaf9e79accfe0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Shelby Reese"},"url":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/author\/reeses\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1051589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1051589"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1051589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1051590,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1051589\/revisions\/1051590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1051589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1051589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1051589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}