1. United States
2. Kan.
3. Letter

When your dad just passed away this past weekend from Parkinson’s and you know he was a career federal firefighter working on the airfield at the naval base with chemical fire retardants, you can bet the following news isn’t going to sit well. These programs are required by law. Appropriations were made. Young me. Are still on the job. Protect them. Because of layoffs at NIOSH, multiple lifesaving programs have been shut down even though they’re required by law. That includes the National Firefighter Cancer Registry, the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, the Health Hazard Evaluation Program, the Respirator Approval Program, and the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program. Protective equipment regulations and approval and investigations into deaths and those causes must continue. It’s your job to protect your constituents and the federal workers who save lives.