Before adjourning for the August recess, a powerful Senate committee took a major step to reject President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
In a bipartisan vote of 26-3, the Senate Appropriations Committee agreed to restore millions of dollars in funding at the public health agencies for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 that could help reverse recent layoffs and program shutdowns.
The Senate’s proposed $363.8 million budget for NIOSH in fiscal 2026 includes a $1 million increase in funding over this year’s approved level for the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer. The committee resoundingly rejected the dismantling of NIOSH and the RIF of its staff, stating in its report that “this funding level is sufficient to maintain the programs and activities in all NIOSH locations as well as staff in these locations in place on March 30, 2025.”
The committee also proposed about $9.3 billion in total funding for CDC, a significant increase over the president’s proposal and a critical step toward reversing the erosion of the nation’s front-line public health infrastructure.
These investments would allow NIOSH and CDC to maintain programs and staffing that were threatened by the Trump administration’s proposed cuts.
AFGE union leaders representing NIOSH and CDC employees across the country applauded the Senate’s action.
“The Senate heard the alarm we’ve been ringing for months,” said AFGE Local 2883 President Yolanda Jacobs, whose local represents CDC employees in Atlanta. “These proposed cuts were never about fiscal responsibility – they were about dismantling science and weakening public health. The Senate just took a vital step toward preventing that disaster.”
“The president’s budget would have gutted NIOSH and ended vital life-saving research,” said AFGE Local 1916 Vice President Brendan Demich, whose local represents NIOSH employees in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Spokane, Wash. “We thank the Senate Appropriations Committee for doing the right thing and standing with workers and science. Now it’s time for our other elected leaders in the House and across the administration to follow suit and fully restore public health funding.”
“NIOSH is not expendable. Our scientists and programs save lives every day in coal mines, factories, farms, firehouses, and hospitals,” said AFGE Local 3840 Vice President Micah Niemeier-Walsh, whose local represents NIOSH employees in Cincinnati, Ohio. “The Senate proposal is a first step toward undoing the damage, but the fight is far from over. Every job lost and every program shuttered must be fully restored.”
Despite this positive development, the congressional budget process remains far from over. The final budget must be negotiated with the House of Representatives, and appropriations could still face attacks or delay. The new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
AFGE and its locals will keep fighting to ensure full restoration of funding and staffing at NIOSH and CDC and implore lawmakers in both chambers to prioritize worker safety and scientific integrity over politics.
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