A federal judge has blocked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from moving forward with planned layoffs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), citing violations of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act. The injunction has reinstated hundreds of workers and ordered the immediate restoration of health programs essential to coal miners and other at-risk employees.
The Court’s Injunction and Legal Basis
On May 14, 2025, U.S. District Judge Irene Berger issued a preliminary injunction halting all reduction-in-force notices sent to NIOSH staff. The judge concluded that the layoffs directly undermined legally mandated health programs designed to protect coal workers from occupational diseases such as pneumoconiosis, commonly known as black lung. Her ruling stated that the Department lacked the legal authority to dismantle or interrupt operations required under federal law.
Judge Berger’s decision emphasized the binding nature of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969, which mandates continuous operation of the Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program (CWHSP). The program allows miners like the plaintiff, Harry Wiley, to access chest X-rays and, if necessary, request job transfers to less dusty areas without any loss in wages. Wiley’s lawsuit argued that the layoffs violated his statutory rights and left miners without access to critical health surveillance tools.
Political Pressure and Public Response
The federal restructuring plan that led to the layoffs drew bipartisan criticism from lawmakers representing coal country. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Representative Chris Deluzio (D-PA) were vocal in their opposition, urging HHS to reverse the decision. Both legislators stressed that eliminating NIOSH jobs would not only harm public health but also ignore the long-term commitment to occupational safety that has protected miners for decades.
Public outcry also played a role. Labor organizations, miner advocacy groups, and local officials rallied outside NIOSH facilities in Morgantown, West Virginia, demanding a reversal. Many saw the court’s decision as a win not just for miners but for the broader principle of government accountability and the legal protections granted to federal health and safety programs.
