House Committee Recommends Cuts for OSHA, MSHA, NIOSH

The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has recommended lower funding for OSHA, MSHA, and NIOSH for fiscal year 2026 compared to FY 2025 levels. The funding, which appears in the House appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, matches levels sought by President Trump for OSHA and MSHA but provides more money than the president’s budget for NIOSH. All three agencies would fare worse under the House bill than under the Senate version.

The House committee recommended a total of $582.3 million for OSHA and $348.2 million for MSHA, matching the president’s budget request for those agencies. The amounts represent cuts of 7.9 and 10.2 percent, respectively, from FY 2025. The Senate committee has recommended $632.3 million for OSHA and $387.8 million for MSHA, amounts that match what the agencies received in FY 2025.

For NIOSH, the House committee’s recommendation of $312.7 million would cut agency funding 14 percent from FY 2025 levels. The president sought an 80-percent reduction for NIOSH, while the Senate committee’s bill would increase the agency’s funding by $1 million.

The bill also allocates $14.2 million for the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

In a separate bill, the House committee recommended $8.2 million in funding for the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, which the president seeks to eliminate. The Senate committee would fund the CSB at its FY 2025 level of $14.4 million for FY 2026.

To avoid a government shutdown, the two chambers must either reconcile their funding bills by Sept. 30 or pass a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels.

The full text of the bills for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (PDF) and for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (PDF) are available from the website of the House Appropriations Committee. A summary of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s recommendations is available from the AIHA website.