HHS reinstates hundreds of health workers

Secretary Kennedy said he brought back 328 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health employees, including those overseeing coal miner and 9/11 screenings.

The Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday reinstated 328 federal employees who faced terminations, including those involved in screening for “black lung” disease in coal miners and for health issues in 9/11 first responders.

The reinstated employees are part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is focused on preventing and responding to work-related illnesses.

The Trump administration previously aimed to eliminate the majority of NIOSH’s more than 1,300 employees, part of a broader plan to downsize the federal workforce.

Hundreds of NIOSH staffers received termination letters in April and May, though some were temporarily brought back to complete certain tasks, while their terminations remained in effect for June. HHS’ acting chief human capital officer, Tom Nagy, told some employees on Tuesday that their terminations were “hereby revoked,” according to a memo obtained by NBC News. 

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testifies on Wednesday in Washington.Samuel Corum / Getty ImagesHealth Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confirmed at a House budget hearing on Wednesday morning that 328 NIOSH employees had been called back. Roughly a third of them work at a facility in Morgantown, West Virginia, he said, and another third work in Cincinnati, where NIOSH operates two facilities.