World Trade Center news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Twenty-five years after 9/11, more than 600 fire fighters have died from WTC-related diseases.
The toll now reaches responders and survivors far beyond the attacks themselves.
Background
The World Trade Center Health Program provides monitoring and treatment to nearly 150,000 responders and survivors nationwide, care the IAFF and its allies fought decades to secure. More than 600 fire fighters have died from WTC-related diseases, nearly twice the number killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and thousands continue to live with cancers, respiratory diseases and other serious illnesses linked to the attack. In 2026, Congress passed bipartisan legislation to correct the program's funding formula, ensuring it keeps pace with enrollment through 2040; President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on Feb. 3, 2026.
How it unfolded
- Sep 11, 2001Terrorist attacks destroyed the World Trade Center; 343 FDNY members died that day.
- Nov 3, 2014One World Trade Center, also called the Freedom Tower, opened to the public after seven years of construction.
- Feb 3, 2026President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation correcting the World Trade Center Health Program's funding formula, ensuring it keeps pace with enrollment through 2040.
- Sep 8, 2026The Port Authority dedicated a new memorial to employees killed in the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11 and in 1993.
- Sep 9, 2026Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore welcomed families of FDNY members to the 2026 FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Service at FerryHawk Stadium on Staten Island, honoring the 343 members who died on 9/11 and those who have since died from WTC-related illnesses.
- Sep 9, 2026EarthCam released a documentary showcasing 25 years of time-lapse imagery of the World Trade Center site's recovery and rebuilding.
- Sep 10, 2026A drone show outlined the World Trade Center towers in a 9/11 tribute.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- The FDNY memorial service honored the 343 members who made the Supreme Sacrifice on 9/11 and those who have since died from World Trade Center-related illnesses.
- Analysts
- Architectural critics consider One World Trade Center unremarkable, though it was built to reclaim the title of tallest building in the United States.