The AFL-CIO is warning that America’s workers are once again at risk as the Trump administration moves to slash funding for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the nation’s premier job safety research agency.

Earlier this year, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) eliminated more than a thousand NIOSH jobs, putting every research center on the chopping block. Union-led mobilization and public pressure helped restore a handful of centers and staff, but resources remain dangerously low—and now Congress is considering even deeper cuts.

“Workers depend on NIOSH to prevent illness, injury and death on the job,” the AFL-CIO said in a statement. “Without this research, more workers will get sick, more workers will be injured, and more workers will die.”

NIOSH scientists study everything from cancer among military aviators and lung disease in manufacturing, to stress and burnout among first responders, workplace injuries in health care, and the impact of parental chemical exposures on child development. But much of this vital research remains frozen, and the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal seeks to eliminate most of NIOSH’s funding altogether.

Currently, one-third of NIOSH staff are barred from returning to work, even though their research is mandated by Congress. Advocates warn that shuttering the agency would devastate worker health and safety nationwide, stripping employers of evidence-based guidance to protect employees.

The AFL-CIO is urging workers, families, and allies to take immediate action to protect NIOSH. Union leaders are calling on the public to dial 844-292-9097 to connect with their representatives in Congress and demand they stop the cuts and fully fund NIOSH.

“We saved NIOSH once before,” the AFL-CIO said. “We must do it again—before it’s too late.”