Washington — The House Appropriations Committee has approved a bill that would reduce OSHA’s budget by more than 8% in fiscal year 2027 – a cut slightly deeper than what the Department of Labor has requested.
Approved on June 9, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill would allocate $576.9 million to OSHA in FY 2027, which begins Oct. 1. That would represent a $52.4 million cut from the agency’s current budget.
The Trump administration is seeking $582.4 million for OSHA, or roughly 7.5% below the agency’s FY 2026 budget.
The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to publish its counterpart bill, which will give a clearer picture of the potential FY 2027 budgets for OSHA and other safety agencies.
Among the proposed cuts in the House bill is the Susan Harwood Training Grant program, one of the favorite budget targets of the White House. In five previous federal budgets across President Donald Trump’s two terms, Congress has ultimately refused each requested elimination of the program, which has a nearly $12.8 million price tag in FY 2026.
The House bill also would allocate up to $120 million for state OSHA programs, as well as provide about $210 million for federal enforcement. That $210 million is equal to the White House’s request and would represent a nearly $33 million decrease from FY 2026.
Additionally, the legislation provides “not less than” $3.5 million for OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs.
An accompanying bill report states that the Appropriations Committee “remains concerned about the prevalence of opioid use in the workplace and acknowledges that many employers may not be prepared to address it.
“The committee encourages [DOL] to issue voluntary guidance to employers on acquiring and maintaining opioid overdose reversal medication, as well as on how employers could provide annual training for employees on the usage of such medication. The committee requests an update in the fiscal year 2028 congressional justification on such activities.”
Proposed cuts for MSHA
The bill proposes around $348.2 million for the Mine Safety and Health Administration. That’s in line with the White House’s request and is a roughly 10% cut from MSHA’s $387.8 million FY 2026 budget.
The bill report shows a proposed cut for mine safety and health enforcement, to $252.3 million from $265.8 million in FY 2026. A line item titled “Educational policy and development” has a proposed decrease to $25 million from $39.8 million.
The committee also expresses “concerns” over MSHA’s respirable crystalline silica rule that’s currently in legal and regulatory limbo.
“These concerns relate to the rule’s feasibility, proportionality and practicality; the rule’s effects given operational and environmental differences between the coal and metal and nonmetal mining sectors; and the inclusion of certain provisions such as an immediate notification requirement,” the report states.
“Additionally, the committee urges MSHA to provide clear, timely communication to stakeholders regarding this rule and respirable crystalline silica protections.”
NIOSH consolidation still on the table
For NIOSH, the bill allocates $311.2 million, exponentially higher than the $92.2 million the White House budgeted. The Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to consolidate the agency as part of a new National Center for Chemicals and Toxins along with:
- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
- The National Center for Environmental Health
- The National Center for Toxicological Research
- The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
The center would include NIOSH’s Respirator Approval and Mining Research programs, along with its Firefighter Cancer Registry.
However, HHS is seeking to cut the National Occupational Research Agenda ($120.5 million), as well as line items titled “other occupational safety and health research” ($115.1 million) and “education and research centers” ($32 million).
NIOSH has a $366.8 million budget in FY 2026, and the proposed $311 million would represent a 15% cut. The House committee seeks to keep the NORA funding intact but cut “Other occupational health and research” by roughly half, to $57.5 million from $115.1 million in FY 2026.
The committee report addressing NIOSH tackles several subjects. Among them: its concerns that only 24.5% of eligible workers are screened for lung cancer and “the adverse safety and health effects experienced by many vehicle mechanics and technicians across mechanical industries.”
The report continues: “The committee encourages [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] to use a Total Worker Health approach to examine the exposures these workers face on the job, including physical and chemical hazards affecting their safety, health and well-being.”
