NEW YORK, NY — New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of records tied to the government response after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including documents about air quality and long-term health concerns.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the launch of the public records portal and said the city also settled two lawsuits filed by 9/11 Health Watch. The move ends a years-long fight over access to records that families, first responders and elected officials had sought for years.
The city says the portal is meant to give people a clearer picture of what was known, when it was known and how the city responded in the aftermath of the attacks.
What the new portal includes
The portal contains roughly 170,000 pages covering post-9/11 health concerns, air quality and the city’s response in the months and years that followed the attacks.
Among the records are the Harding Memo, 68 boxes of documents found in 2025 and records related to World Trade Center 7. City officials say the collection is intended to bring together material that has been difficult for the public to access in one place.
The city said the portal will be updated over time as additional records are reviewed and released. It will also include redactions where needed to remove personally identifiable information before documents are posted publicly.
A long fight for access to 9/11 records
Access to these documents has been a major issue for survivors and responders for years. Many have argued that the records could help explain the environmental and health consequences that followed the attacks and the cleanup effort.
By settling the lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch, the city is closing one legal chapter in that fight. The settlement also gives the administration a path to continue publishing records through the new portal without the same legal dispute hanging over the process.
For many families and responders, the release is about more than paperwork. It is tied to questions about accountability, disclosure and the lasting effects of exposure after Sept. 11.
Funding set aside to keep the portal running
Mamdani’s fiscal year 2027 budget includes $34 million to create and maintain the public records portal. The city says that funding is meant to support both the launch and the continuing work needed to review, organize and post more documents.
That work is expected to continue for the next year as agencies examine additional records and prepare them for public release. The city has said the portal will expand as that review moves forward.
Officials framed the investment as part of a broader commitment to keep the records accessible rather than making them a one-time release.
How the city says the records will help survivors
The city says it will also help responders and survivors obtain records needed to apply for the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Those programs remain important for people dealing with long-term health consequences connected to exposure after the attacks. City officials say easier access to records can help some people document their cases and navigate the process more effectively.
That assistance is part of the administration’s wider message about transparency and support for people whose lives were permanently changed by Sept. 11.
Mamdani ties the release to transparency and accountability
Mamdani described the portal as a long-overdue step for New Yorkers who have spent years seeking answers. He said the city owes families, survivors and first responders transparency and accountability.
In announcing the release, he said the administration wants to honor those who died, care for people living with lasting health effects and give New Yorkers answers they have been asking for since the attacks.
The city’s new portal makes those records publicly available in a way officials say should make future access easier, while also creating a central place for continuing updates.
