1. United States
2. Alaska
3. Letter

NIOSH is not being simply downsized it is being eliminated. The layoffs through out HHS appear to terminate nearly every member of the workforce at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Every scientist in every branch got a RIF notice on April 1st. Every single supervisor in all facilities also got a RIF notice. The only people remaining for now are a few security guards and some secretaries to process the mound of paperwork and shit it down. All work in NIOSH facilities has stopped. Some of the functions of NIOSH are ensuring the respirators used by 50 million American workers function and meet N95 standards and maintaining the pocket guide to chemical hazards which provides first responders and safety professionals chemical information and protective gear recommendations. They also provide black lung screenings to coal miners and health hazard evaluations of workplaces. They develop and maintain analytical sampling methods for monitoring workplace exposure to harmful chemical or particulate levels. They develop new direct reading instruments and sensors for real time monitoring. They conduct research on the health effects of working with new materials and new additives. They also develop early detection methods for workplace diseases like black lung, silicosis and mesothelioma. NIOSH performs these vital functions and more for only 0.005% of the federal budget. This is ending 50 years of infrastructure and programs that protected workers and helped employers save costs associated with workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. NIOSH collaborated with employers and employees to translate research into solutions. It protects 164 million US workers. Closing down NIOSH is a direct attack on Americans who work in factories, mines, industrial plants and other hazardous environments. Congress is not supposed to allow an administration to illegally destroy agencies. Please act to save the important research of NIOSH.