Scott and Omar press for details about reported staff cuts at NIOSH

Washington — Citing news reports about staffing cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two prominent House Democrats have asked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for information about how NIOSH has been affected.

NIOSH, which is part of CDC, was established in 1970 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act signed into law by President Richard Nixon.

In a Feb. 19 letter sent to Kennedy, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), ranking member of the House Workforce Protections Subcommittee, also point to “a host of reports about stalled contract and grant payments throughout the federal government.”

Scott and Omar ask how many NIOSH staffers have been terminated since Jan. 21, as well as the following information for each:

• Job title
• Office or division
• Branch or identifiable program area
• Number of years of federal service

They also ask for information about NIOSH grants, contracts, “contract indefinite delivery vehicle,” direct payments, loans, or “other approved spending terminated or paused” since Jan. 21.

“NIOSH plays multiple important roles in ensuring the health and safety of American workers and providing scientific guidance to inform workers’ compensation programs,” the letter states. “We need a focused accounting on the cost to NIOSH overall so that we can assess the consequences for NIOSH’s capacity to get things done for American workers.”

Scott and Omar are seeking a response by March 6.