NIOSH Staffing Cuts Reversed

"A stable, fully funded and staffed NIOSH is essential to its mandate to make research-based recommendations that keep workers safe," said NSC CEO Lorraine Martin.

Jan. 14, 2026

Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Trump Administration is reversing its deep staffing cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, reinstating hundreds of employees, as reported by Bloomberg.

The news organization said that Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon confirmed the reversal in an email on Tuesday.

On January 14, Lorraine Martin, CEO of the National Safety Council, released the following statement:

"I am very encouraged by reports of the reinstatement of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). NIOSH’s unique resources inform policy and industry practices that prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities. NSC has advocated for this administration to make NIOSH whole again because a stable, fully funded and staffed NIOSH is essential to its mandate to make research-based recommendations that keep workers safe. A full reversal of staffing cuts should take place immediately.”

Note: For some background on the agency, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health wrote an interesting analysis, "What’s lost with NIOSH cuts: Q&A with David Christiani."