It is important to not that this reversal did not come from the goodness of RFK Jr’s heart. Union action, including demonstrations and rallies by union members and public health advocates, lawsuits, numerous powerful media stories detailing tragic stories of lives lost and health damaged (just a few examples here, here and here), and strong opposition to the cuts from Congressional Democrats (and even a few Republicans) forced the Trump Administration’s hands.
The cracks started forming early. In May, RFK Jr testified that he restoring 328 of those slated for termination, but that it was a “moral imperative” to downsize his “metastasizing” cabinet agency. Lawsuits and a widespread public outcry forced the agency to start restoring parts of the agency, especially those offices working on protecting coal miners from Black Lung disease. Trump’s budget then proposed cutting 80% of NIOSH’s budget.
Republicans in the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, responding to the nationwide outcry against the cuts, proposed a budget with “only” a 14% cut. Senate appropriators, with the strong support of Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) weren’t having any of it. The Senate, which requires bipartisan cooperation to pass a budget, proposed restoring 100% of NIOSH’s funding.
We still haven’t seen the final FY 2026 budget yet, and severe cuts to OSHA and MSHA may still be on the table. MSHA is still not enforcing its silica standard and OSHA is facing regulatory rollbacks.
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