Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday blasted President Donald Trump’s effort to put the National September 11 Memorial & Museum under federal control, calling it political meddling with a sacred site.
“The 9/11 Memorial belongs to New Yorkers — the families, survivors, and first responders who have carried this legacy for more than two decades and ensured we never forget,” Hochul said, criticizing Trump for considering the move after his administration targeted the World Trade Center Health Program, a lifeline for thousands of 9/11 responders and survivors.
On May 2, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired 16 additional medical staff at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which oversees parts of the program. “Before he meddles with this sacred site, the President should start by honoring survivors and supporting the families of victims,” Hochul added.
Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand last month raised concerns over staffing cuts and what they called “other harmful Trump administration directives,” pointing to shortages, stalled research funding, and persistent communication failures at the program, which treats more than 140,000 people exposed to toxic dust at Ground Zero, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The New York Times first reported Thursday that Trump is exploring federal control of the memorial and museum, citing growing criticism from victims’ families over steep admission prices and executive compensation. A White House source confirmed to amNewYork that “preliminary exploratory discussions” are underway.
In a statement, Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, said the federal government assuming full operating expenses makes “no sense” at a time when it is working to cut costs.
“In the aftermath of 9/11, patriotic New Yorkers and Americans came together to create a memorial and museum to honor the 2,977 innocent victims killed by the attacks. Since then, we’ve raised $750 million in private funds to build and sustain this tribute and welcomed 90 million visitors to the Memorial,” Hillman said. “We’re proud that our exhibitions tell stories of bravery and patriotism and are confident that our current operating model has served the public honorably and effectively.”
The push from the Trump administration follows a New York Post report that executive pay at the museum has risen sharply even as the institution posted financial losses. In 2024, the nonprofit reported $93 million in revenue, including at least $4.5 million in public funds, but still ran a $19 million deficit. Payroll alone reached $34 million, up from $22 million in 2020, with more than a dozen employees earning six-figure salaries, according to the paper.
Despite raising ticket prices to $36 for adults, and as much as $85 for combined tours, the museum has remained unprofitable. Families of victims have denounced the high salaries as a “slap in the face,” to the Post.
Trump has previously floated the idea of a federal takeover. During his 2024 presidential campaign, he told supporters at a rally in Uniondale, N.Y., that he would designate Ground Zero as a national monument. “I am announcing tonight that as President, I will officially make the Ground Zero site at the World Trade Center a national monument protected and maintained by the United States government, so that hallowed ground and the memory of those who perish there will be preserved for all time, preserved forever,” he said.
Bill Keegan, founder of HEART 9/11 and a former Port Authority Police lieutenant who led World Trade Center recovery efforts, told amNewYork he opposes New Yorkers losing any control of the site.
“I would hope not,” Keegan said of the plan, stressing that New York gave “everything it had” during the attacks and recovery and should continue to steward the site. He warned that federal oversight, which shifts with changing administrations, could jeopardize the memorial’s mission.
Keegan praised the architects, engineers and museum staff who built the memorial “with blood, sweat and tears,” calling it a true New York project that reflects resilience and loss. He acknowledged criticism over the museum’s $19 million deficit and rising executive pay but said families’ anger could worsen if Washington assumed control.
“I just think it’s in better hands right now with the people that are running it, many of whom were there right from the very beginning,” he said. “It’s only 24 years later, many people have spent their professional careers in the museum and in the memorial, and they know why things exist today, because they were there in the development plans. And I think that that is something that we would lose, should it be taken over by the feds. “
“President Trump is a New Yorker from Queens, and you would think he would understand that, and that he would want that to be run by his home people,” he added.
On the World Trade Center Health Program, Keegan said he has personally received lifesaving care and that cuts proposed by the Trump administration have unsettled survivors. “If it’s to cut just for the sake of cutting, then I think that’s missing the point,” he said, urging officials to strengthen, not weaken, the system that supports sick responders.
Keegan said the memorial’s central purpose is to help future generations understand the resilience shown by those who responded to the attacks. This Sept. 11 marks 24 years since nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijackers crashed planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.
The 9/11 Memorial & Museum, located on the site of the former Twin Towers in Lower Manhattan, will once again hold its annual ceremony, where families gather to remember the victims and honor the first responders who died trying to save others.
Earlier this week, a federal judge in New York ruled that a case seeking to hold the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia responsible for financial and logistical support to the terrorists can move forward, marking a major milestone for the victims’ families.
