'Research is basically halted': Report claims first responder safety cut by Trump admin

Safety for first responders is paramount at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Which is why its employees, and the first responders who rely on their research and data, are shocked by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s cuts, according to a new POLITICO report.

“[The research has] all been put on pause,” Hannah Echt, a union steward at NIOSH, told the outlet. “We haven’t been able to travel since the end of January, and now… there’s no one to do the traveling.”

Echt was a part of a 10-person team who were helping Iowa firefighters limit their exposure to fumes from idling vehicles.

Another NIOSH researcher said their team had been looking at PFAS (aka forever chemicals) in firefighters' gear. They were also investigating how quickly firefighting equipment degrades and how to certify the commercial service providers that launder firefighting gear.

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“All of that research is basically halted,” the person told POLITICO with the promise of anonymity. “We also had a nationwide exposure assessment study, and the analysis was actually complete; the data is sitting there.”

The outlet also noted other studies that were halted, including “a study of firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens during electric vehicle fires and the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program, which examined line-of-duty deaths.”

John Goodman, president of the International Association of Firefighters (IAF) Local 29 in Spokane, Washington, told the outlet, “I don’t feel like there was a thoughtful, intelligent process going into this. They’re just cutting big budget items… without even looking into what it is. I think that even the people that voted for [Trump] are feeling that way.”

The IAF, endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020 and 2024. They declined to endorse both President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris last year. The organization did not comment when POLITICO asked.

According to the outlet, some Democratic lawmakers, local firefighter unions, and other groups are pushing to reverse the cuts.