1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

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. While some NIOSH centers and scientist jobs were restored, the few staff still remaining no longer have the resources to do their jobs. 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. Please stop the cuts to NIOSH.