Overview

• Senator Shelley Moore Capito has formally requested HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reinstate 875 NIOSH employees laid off earlier this month.
• The layoffs have led to the suspension of coal miner health programs, including black lung disease surveillance and onsite testing services.
• Capito warned that decommissioning NIOSH labs, including the Morgantown, WV location, could begin in the coming days, costing taxpayers millions.
• Black lung disease, exacerbated by silica dust exposure, is rising in central Appalachia, heightening the need for NIOSH’s services.
• HHS has not yet announced plans to reverse the layoffs or restore the programs critical to coal miners' health and safety.