Overview
- HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon confirmed on Jan. 13 that the agency reversed the cuts at NIOSH and reinstated hundreds of staff.
- Employees received emails stating their reduction-in-force notices were "hereby revoked," restoring their positions after months of uncertainty.
- Roughly 875 of about 1,000 NIOSH workers were terminated in April, with some staff cycled off leave and then told they were permanently let go before the reversal.
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had earlier brought back 328 staff and advanced a budget proposal that would cut about 80% of NIOSH funding, including eliminating the PPE certification program.
- Union representatives and researchers said projects were severely disrupted and warned that rebuilding capacity will take time, even as NIOSH’s work spans N95 testing, chemical risk evaluations, mine hazards and care for 9/11 responders.