Congress expands mental health care for 9/11 responders, locks in 65-year funding

What it does

This bill makes four main changes to the World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical care to 9/11 responders and survivors. It allows licensed mental health providers (not just doctors) to certify mental health conditions; clarifies that deceased enrollees should not be counted in program statistics; speeds up the process for adding new health conditions to the covered list (from 180 to 180 days, unchanged); and most significantly, increases funding by 7% annually through 2090 with a 25% boost in fiscal 2026, while requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services to report on long-term budget needs.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to expand mental health care access for 9/11 responders and survivors by broadening provider eligibility and increasing program funding through 2090. This is a straightforward public-health measure addressing a specific, documented population's medical needs.

What the text implies

• The 7% annual funding increase through 2090 creates a long-term fiscal commitment that will require sustained appropriations or budget reallocation for 65+ years, potentially constraining other federal health programs.
• Allowing non-physician mental health providers to certify conditions may reduce bottlenecks in care access but could create inconsistency in diagnostic standards if provider categories are defined too broadly by the WTC Program Administrator.
• The 25% funding boost in FY2026 may signal anticipated surge in claims or unmet demand, but the bill does not explain the basis for this specific increase percentage.
• Removing deceased enrollees from enrollment counts is a technical fix but may obscure historical program utilization data if not carefully documented separately.

Who it affects

9/11 responders and survivors gain expanded access to mental health care through qualified providers beyond physicians, faster condition certifications, and substantially increased program funding to meet anticipated long-term medical needs. The bill directly improves care access and financial security for a vulnerable population with documented health harms from the 9/11 attacks.

Who stands to gain

• 9/11 responders and survivors (direct beneficiaries of expanded care and funding)
• mental health care providers (expanded eligible provider pool)
• healthcare systems serving 9/11-affected populations

Named in the bill

World Trade Center Health Program, Public Health Service Act, WTC Program Administrator, Secretary of Health and Human Services, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, House Committee on the Budget, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Senate Committee on the Budget

Where it stands

133 cosponsors: 107 Democrats, 26 Republicans.

• Feb 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

3 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $324,304 in lobbying spend. A filing names 25 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 61% of bills with at least one filing.

Andrew Garbarino, the sponsor, reported $1,954,500 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• International Association of Fire Fighters — $184,304 on 1 filing
• National Fraternal Order of Police — $100,000 on 1 filing
• Sergeants Benevolent Association of New York City — $40,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 24, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.