The US Department of Treasury has refunded nearly $4 million previously withheld from the health care program assisting September 11 first responders who suffer lasting effects from the attack and ensuing cleanup efforts, the president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association announced Monday.
The reimbursement appears to resolve an ongoing back-and-forth between New York officials and the federal Treasury Department over the funds previously shorted to the FDNY World Trade Center Health Program.
We will continue to monitor this progress to ensure funds are available for first responders without federal interference,” a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN.
Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin acknowledged that his department withheld $3. 92 million since 2004 from the program because of other debts New York City the federal government, according to a letter he sent earlier this month to de Blasio.
In the letter, Mnuchin agreed that the city’s firefighters shouldn’t suffer the consequences of federal debt squabbles, but still said it’s on the city to rectify the funding gap.
Mnuchin said that should the New York City government opt not to reimburse the nearly $4 million shortfall, his department could release funds to the FDNY program by offsetting the amount against future federal payments owed to the city.
The FDNY United Firefighters Association spoke publicly in recent months calling on the federal government to make the funds right.
“I’m happy to hear that the millions of funds that mysteriously disappeared from the FDNY WTC Healthcare Program were returned and going forward reimbursements will not be used to offset the city’s debt.
