The department said that New York City was responsible for the federal debts.
The letter, obtained by The Hill on Friday, states New York City was provided with accounts of all debts dating back to 2004, although the letter does not specifically detail them.
“New York City firefighters are waiting on Secretary Mnuchin to act,” a spokesperson for De Blasio told CNN. “If the Trump administration supports first responders and the fearless men and women who keep Americans safe, then it’s time for them to prove it.”
This comes after the New York Daily News reported last month that documents it had obtained revealed the Treasury Department failed to provide roughly $3.7 million to the first responder fund, with letters from Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) claiming that around $1.5 million was withheld in 2020.
The congressman had written to Mnuchin in June and on Sept. 10, claiming that the department withheld funding for the program due to “a range of issues dealing with different New York City offices and programs that have nothing to do with the FDNY Clinic.”
“It is essential that you release these funds immediately to the FDNY’s World Trade Center Clinic,” King wrote to Mnuchin in September. “Our firefighters should not [be] punished for an administrative issue with New York City’s Department of Finance.”
According to a response from the Treasury Department shared with The Hill last month, the agency told King on Aug. 20 that money from the FDNY’s World Trade Center Health Program was moved to fulfill other debts New York City had with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In response to Mnuchin’s letter from last week, which was also sent to 30 New York state officials including Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D), FDNY-Uniformed Firefighters Association President Andrew Ansbro in a news conference Wednesday called on Treasury officials to immediately address the withholding of funds.
“Can I blame Secretary Mnuchin? I guess I can’t because this has been going on for 17 years, but I would appreciate him fixing it, and fixing it to our satisfaction where the money is returned,” Ansbro said at the news conference. “They can chase down New York City’s debt somewhere else, but on the backs of New York City firefighters who are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses, that’s not acceptable.”