Josh Eidelson has won the October Sidney Award for his feature in Bloomberg Businessweek, “How Trump Broke Corporate America’s Most Valuable Consultant.”
The story documents the massive cuts to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a small workplace research agency that contributes billions of dollars of value to the U.S. economy.
Unlike its cousin OSHA, NIOSH is popular with employers because it does research and development that they would otherwise have to pay for. As a result, many large corporations have been up in arms at the cuts. Instead of doing their own studies to see if a respirator is effective or a chemical is toxic, they can look to NIOSH.
At least, they could until Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. revealed plans to terminate 90% of NIOSH’s workforce in April. A fraction of those layoff notices were reversed for now, but the proposed budget slashes NIOSH’s funding by 80%.
Now, efforts to protect firefighters from wildfire smoke and kids from lead exposure are on indefinite hold. A study of the reproductive health effects of chemicals in nail salons has been halted. NIOSH is no longer able to do critical research on topics ranging from bioterrorism to electric vehicle fires. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has said the cuts could undermine efforts to manufacture more products in the U.S. The full toll of these cuts may not be apparent for years.
“The cuts at NIOSH are another toxic outgrowth of Project 2025” said Sidney judge Lindsay Beyerstein, “workers, consumers, and the economy are in danger.”
Josh Eidelson covers the workplace as a senior reporter for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek.
