Trump admin asks laid-off firefighter and coal mining safety research staff back temporarily
The Trump administration is calling back to work some laid off federal employees who focused on the health and safety of coal miners, firefighters, and survivors of 9/11, a Republican senator and a national union of firefighters said Tuesday.
But the reprieve may be temporary, lasting only through June 2, and the future of the programs, which are part of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, remains in doubt.
An HHS spokesperson said, 'it could be a possibility that [certain NIOSH employees] will be brought back permanently.'
NIOSH was one of several agencies gutted this month when tens of thousands of employees were laid off as part of a sweeping reorganization of the federal health department.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said shortly after the mass firings that as much as 20 percent of employees might be brought back 'because we all make mistakes.' And on Sunday, Kennedy signaled that the administration may be rethinking some cuts in a post on X, writing: 'Firefighter health and safety programs remain a top priority … As the agency continues to streamline its operations, critical services of NIOSH will remain intact.'
HHS has also brought back laid off food safety inspectors.
Two NIOSH employees — one recently called back from administrative leave, the other whose job was not impacted by the cuts — told POLITICO that human resources called the workers this week and asked them to come back to 'close out' the work they had been doing. That includes teams tracking cancer rates in firefighters and providing health services to survivors of 9/11. But the employees stressed that nothing official is in writing. Both employees were granted anonymity for fear of retribution.
'Everyone is very suspicious that this is just being done to create the appearance that HHS is addressing concerns,' said one of the employees. 'But programs will still be effectively eliminated in June.'
A third NIOSH employee, also granted anonymity for fear of retribution, said the office focused on health and safety in the coal industry 'was told to stop using [administrative] leave and come into the office, but their termination dates are still the same,' adding that similar directives were sent to some employees who work on the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program.
The news follows weeks of bipartisan criticism about the Trump administration purging tens of thousands of staff from the CDC, NIOSH and other health agencies, which has brought several programs dedicated to worker-safety research to a halt.
The International Association of Fire Fighters took credit for the reversal in a statement Tuesday, saying the administration's decision to restore some employees comes after 'direct talks' between the union and Kennedy.
IAFF President Edward A. Kelly said in a statement that Kennedy blamed unnamed federal workers for making the cuts and claimed the core functions of teams working on firefighter health and safety would remain intact.
'It was explained to me that the Reduction in Force (RIF) ordered by a White House Executive Order was misinterpreted by 'mid-level bureaucrats,' and our programs — which Secretary Kennedy assured me were 'critical' — would continue,' he wrote.
But Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), who represents workers at NIOSH's Morgantown office who were laid off en masse on April 1, told POLITICO on Tuesday that she's concerned the gutted programs won't be permanently restored.
'They did call some people back, which we're very pleased about,' she said. 'But in terms of the technicalities of permanent [reduction in force], I think that still does loom out there.'
Capito said she has met with Kennedy several times to express opposition to the layoffs, and is 'going to keep pushing' until the workers are permanently rehired.
'The cuts to NIOSH, on Black Lung in particular, were very concerning to me, because nobody else does this,' she said of the research and treatment the agency provides to sick coal miners, describing herself as 'cautiously optimistic' that the temporary recall will stretch past the scheduled June cutoff.
American Federation of Government Employees Local 3430 President Cathy Tinney-Zara noted in a statement that the "reinstatement does not include all impacted employees," but appears to target "programs currently in the media spotlight."
"These are undoubtedly vital initiatives, but they are only a portion of the comprehensive, nationwide worker protection mission NIOSH fulfills," Tinney-Zara said.
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The move could add more uncertainty for American manufacturers, particularly the auto industry, which has been pushing for easier access. The Journal notes that the move gives China leverage down the line if tensions ratchet back up. From the report: In celebrating the agreement early Wednesday, President Trump noted "any necessary rare earths will be supplied, up front, by China." He did not mention any time limit on loosening those restrictions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in testimony before Congress on Wednesday, painted Wednesday's agreement as an incremental step on the longer road to a more comprehensive trade deal. "A trade deal today or last night was for a specific goal, and it will be a much longer process," he told a House committee. When asked if current US tariff levels on Chinese imports would not change again, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC, "You can definitely say that." "We're in a great place with China," Lutnick said Wednesday. While the US-China truce framework is awaiting final word from US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Lutnick added, "Both sides are really positive." The agreement is largely viewed as reestablishing the "handshake" that US and Chinese officials reached in Geneva last month, as details on a larger trade pact remain scant. Trump posted on social media this morning that the US has imposed 55% tariffs on China, a number that does not include any new tariffs but instead comprises some preexisting tariffs, Trump's fentanyl tariffs, and 10% "Liberation Day" tariffs. Lutnick touted that, as a result of the two-day talks, the US will gain access to rare earths and magnets, while the Chinese delegation sought to remove the US's export controls. He added that the trade deficit remains an ongoing issue, stating, "We're going to examine how China can do more business with us." May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation pressures eased on a monthly basis despite investor concerns that President Trump's tariffs would accelerate the pace of price increases. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.1% on a monthly basis in May and 2.4% on an annual basis, a slight uptick from April's 2.3% gain. Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal reports: Read more here. I would keep an eye on consumer names off the news of a trade deal with China floated by President Trump this morning (see our prior post below). Seeing upticks premarket in heavily China-exposed retailers such as Nike (NKE), Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), and Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF). The premarket gains here aren't mind-blowing in part because tariffs appear to still be in place. Trump posted on Truth Social: OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME. FULL MAGNETS, AND ANY NECESSARY RARE EARTHS, WILL BE SUPPLIED, UP FRONT, BY CHINA. LIKEWISE, WE WILL PROVIDE TO CHINA WHAT WAS AGREED TO, INCLUDING CHINESE STUDENTS USING OUR COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD WITH ME!). WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" A variety of market observers quickly weighed in hours after Tuesday evening's unveiling to suggest that the deal may not have a lot of meat on the bones — but at least relations are no longer moving in the wrong direction. The talks perhaps underscored how unlikely a comprehensive trade deal is anytime soon, noted AGF Investments Greg Valliere, "but at least relations may not worsen as talks continue throughout the summer." Both sides promised additional talks in the weeks or months ahead, but none have yet been scheduled. Veronique de Rugy, a professor at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, suggested the talks continued to show China's leverage. "China is hurting, yes—but they still hold the upper hand on critical resources, and they know how to use them." Any lessening of tensions — and freer flow — of these mineral resources in China would be a significant boost to the global economy with China holding outsized leverage in both the reserves and processing capacity of these key building blocks for everything from computers to electric vehicle batteries to medical devices. Likewise, the US offering concessions on export controls would be a significant move after years where successive US administrations have wielded these controls — especially around the design and manufacture of semiconductors — by saying they need to be tight on China for national security reasons. Read more here. May's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report will be released on Wednesday and its expected to show that prices rose a bit faster than in April. Yahoo Finance's Allie Canal breaks down what to look out for and how President Trump's tariffs are impacting what consumers are now paying for goods and services. Read more here. Now that the US-China trade truce is back on track, both sides are keen to ensure it stays that way. China's Vice Premier He Lifeng said both sides need to now 'show the spirit of good faith in abiding by their commitments and jointly safeguard the hard-won results of the dialogue.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Despite the US-China trade truce resuming the pain from President Trump's tariffs remains in China, especially among small exporters. Reuters reports: Read more here. Japan warned Wednesday that tariffs threaten its economic growth, the government said in a monthly report. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. Reuters reports: Read more here. A federal appeals could said on Tuesday that President Trump's sweeping tariffs can continue for now. This is a significant win for Trump, who introduced tariffs back in March and declared "Liberation Day," as he saw them as a way to free the US from what he called unfair trade practices. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. Early summer sales for Inditex, the owner of fashion retailer Zara, came in weaker, as the company missed expectations for first quarter sales on Wednesday. President Trump's tariffs have impacted consumer demand in the US and other major markets. Reuters reports: Read more here. After weeks of back and forth, the US and China have agreed on a framework to implement the Geneva consensus that helped ease tariffs. The breakthrough came after two days of talks in London, including a marathon session on Tuesday. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said both sides had to "get the negativity out" before making progress. 'Now we can go forward to try to do positive trade, growing trade,' he said. As part of the deal, Beijing has promised to speed up shipments of rare earth metals, a crucial component for global auto and defense industries. Washington will ease export controls. This marks the first sign of movement on key issues. The proposal will now be presented to President Trump and China's Xi. Still, the discussions also did little to resolve a long-standing issue: China's trade surplus with the US. 'Markets will likely welcome the shift from confrontation to coordination,' said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets. 'We're not out of the woods yet — it's up to Trump and Xi to approve and enforce the deal.' The meeting was set up after a phone call between the two leaders, following weeks of each side accusing the other of breaking the Geneva commitments. Both countries had used chips, rare earths, student visas and ethane as bargaining tools. Josef Gregory Mahoney, a professor at East China Normal University, said trust, not money, has been the biggest casualty of the trade war. 'We've heard a lot about frameworks,' he said. 'But the fundamental issue remains: Chips versus rare earths. Everything else is a peacock dance.' Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Sign in to access your portfolio
