Last spring, the Trump administration’s unaccountable DOGE cut more than a thousand jobs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the federal job safety research agency.

Every single NIOSH (pronounced nigh-osh) research center was facing closure, so unions mobilized, and our public pressure helped push Congress to restore some NIOSH centers and scientist jobs. However, the few staff still remaining no longer have the resources to do their jobs, and Congress may make things even worse.

Now, all NIOSH research centers are at risk of being closed again. America’s workers will lose critical safety protections—and more workers are going to get hurt.

One-third of NIOSH staffers still are barred from returning to work, even though their work is mandated by Congress. In his 2026 budget proposal, President Trump sought to eliminate most of NIOSH’s funding and programs—even the work being performed by those recently brought back.

We need all NIOSH centers to keep all Americans safe and healthy at work.

NIOSH researchers study and uncover the long-term health effects of workers’ jobs and guide employers on how to protect workers from those hazards—like stress that drives police officers to burn out, cancers among military aviators, lung disease among manufacturing workers, child development challenges linked to parental chemical exposures at work, injuries among health care workers and more. But this vital research remains on hold amid the chaos and confusion, and is on the chopping block completely.

By gutting this key federal agency, America’s workers will lose critical health and safety research. Fewer employers will adopt lifesaving technologies and practices. And more workers will be hurt and killed on the job.

Dial 844-292-9097 to call your representative and demand they stop the cuts to NIOSH. Or fill out this form to receive a call.