In the nearly 2 1/2 decades since 9/11, advocates are fighting harder than ever to expand a federal health program for first responders and survivors.

Established in 2011, the World Trade Center Health Program provides medical care for people suffering from toxin exposures at ground zero.

More than 140,000 people are in the program across the country, but the need is far outpacing the funding set aside by Congress.

Advocates like FealGood Foundation president and 9/11 responder John Feal are at the front lines of the fight to expand the program and get more money for those in need.

"We're fighting now for humanity, we're fighting now for human life, we're fighting now for people who are deathly ill," Feal said.

Advocates said the program will close enrollment by the end of 2028 and those currently receiving care could get cuts to treatment without additional funding.

Safety measures to protect America's interests both domestically and globally have shifted dramatically in the 24 years since 9/11.

Measures such as enhanced intelligence, information sharing and advancements in technology like artifical intelligence have given officials a leg up.

But counterterrorism efforts are more complex than they've ever been, PCC Secure President Sal Lifreieri told News 12.

"Things that we're facing today just get more complicated with geopolitical influences that are involved and that just makes the job that much tougher and harder," he said.