Washington — The Department of Health and Human Services has reinstated 328 NIOSH employees, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified May 14 during a House Appropriations Committee hearing.
The move comes as uncertainty regarding the status of NIOSH, its staff and its programs has swirled in recent months.
Responding to questioning from Rep. Riley Moore (R-WV), Kennedy said the reinstatements affect agency offices in Morgantown, WV, and Cincinnati, as well as the NIOSH World Trade Center Health Program.
Kennedy also confirmed that the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program will “continue to function with continuity,” while programs for occupational safety and testing, such as the Respirator Approval Program, will remain.
“Secretary Kennedy has been working hard to ensure the critical functions under NIOSH remain intact,” spokespeople from HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of which NIOSH is part, told Safety+Health in separate statements. “The Trump administration is committed to supporting coal miners and firefighters, and under the secretary’s leadership, NIOSH’s essential services will continue as HHS streamlines its operations. Ensuring the health and safety of our workforce remains a top priority for the department.”
Howard emails staff; supporters write to Congress
According to multiple news reports, NIOSH Director John Howard, whose own layoff was reportedly reversed, emailed affected agency staff on May 13.
“We are pleased to see these NIOSH staff members brought back to continue the important work of the institute,” Howard wrote.
He continued that NIOSH still awaits a “difficult time to navigate” because other previously eliminated positions weren’t retained.
“While we celebrate with those who received a rescission letter from HHS, I am mindful that others did not,” Howard wrote. “I am hopeful that we can continue to make the case for reinstating everyone at NIOSH.”
An HHS restructuring plan announced March 27 indicated the department would cut around two-thirds of NIOSH’s staff – more than 870 employees. According to a CBS News report, the layoffs were to affect the National Personal Protective Technology Library and NIOSH’s miner safety and health branches. They were expected to go into effect by June 30.
In April, a group of 460 organizations – including the National Safety Council – wrote a letter pressing leaders in Congress to “do everything possible” to halt plans for the massive cuts.
On May 11, more than 100 current and former NIOSH employees sent a letter to members of Congress warning that U.S. workers will face a greater death and injury risk after severe staffing cuts to the agency.
“Without us, more workers will suffer preventable deaths, illnesses and injuries,” states the workers’ letter, which was obtained by NBC News.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on May 13 ordered HHS to restore the CWHSP amid an ongoing lawsuit from a West Virginia coal miner with early stages of black lung disease – a deadly condition caused by exposure to respirable coal mine dust.
Lawmakers speak out
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) has remained consistent in urging Kennedy to reverse the closure of miner health programs.
Addressing news of the Morgantown reinstatements in a May 13 post on her X account, she wrote, “The health and safety of our WV workers, including our miners, is of the utmost importance and I will always advocate for their well-being.”
Moore echoed that message while thanking Kennedy during the May 14 House Appropriations hearing.
“It’s critically important to our coal miners and their safety and the work that they’re doing, which is hazardous but very important to our country,” Moore said.
Meanwhile, other lawmakers are seeking further reinstatements to the NIOSH workforce.
“I am encouraged to see Secretary Kennedy begin to reverse course on his decision to fire hundreds of civil servants at NIOSH,” Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, Secretary Kennedy’s decision to rehire a handful of wrongfully terminated employees is not enough. The abrupt firing of hundreds of health and safety employees puts American workers at risk of preventable injuries, illnesses and deaths on the job.
“Until Secretary Kennedy rehires the rest of the wrongfully terminated NIOSH staff, restores the agency in full and ensures that all rehired employees are shielded from future wrongful terminations, Secretary Kennedy falls short of faithfully executing the law.”
During a May 14 hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee exploring HHS’ fiscal year 2026 budget, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) told Kennedy that “there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to how you’ve made these decisions” on which NIOSH workers to retain.
