HHS Proposes Eliminating NIOSH in FY 2026 Budget Overhaul
A proposed HHS reorganization would dissolve NIOSH, merging its worker safety programs into the new Administration for a Healthy America.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Jun 13, 2025
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed eliminating the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as part of its Fiscal Year 2026 budget plan, consolidating its programs under the newly formed Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).
According to HHS’s Congressional Justification, the plan aims to streamline public health services by merging several agencies and offices into the AHA. NIOSH, currently housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), would no longer exist as a standalone entity. Its research, surveillance, and training programs related to workplace safety and occupational health would be absorbed into AHA’s expanded mandate.
The proposal emphasizes reducing fragmentation in federal public health efforts, stating that integrating NIOSH into AHA would “increase programmatic efficiency” and improve coordination across environmental and public health domains.
However, occupational health experts and labor advocates have voiced concern that folding NIOSH into a broader public health agency could diminish its dedicated focus on workplace safety, especially for high-risk sectors like construction, agriculture, and mining.
The budget request includes no specific funding line for NIOSH, signaling a structural and fiscal shift that would require congressional approval. The proposal does not originate from the White House’s formal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) process and reflects a departmental vision for future public health alignment.
If enacted, the move would mark the most significant restructuring of federal occupational health research in decades.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco brings a strong and varied journalism background to her role at Occupational Health & Safety, having previously served as a multimedia editor, broadcast journalist, professor and reviewer across major news organizations. As Content Editor, she writes news and feature articles, hosts sponsor and editorial webinars, co-hosts the SafetyPod worker health and safety podcast, and manages the brand’s digital and social media presence. She is committed to informing and engaging the safety community through compelling reporting and conversations that support safer, healthier workplaces.