The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began laying off thousands of workers yesterday under the direction of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This was part of the agency’s reduction in force plan to fire 10,000 HHS workers.

Following the announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released a statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“Firing federal workers who have dedicated their lives to protecting the health and safety of our most vulnerable communities is appalling. This attack is not just on the civil servants saving lives, but on every worker in the nation. NIOSH and HHS employees keep workers safe on the job. Tearing these offices down illustrates clearly that Trump, Musk, and the rest of their billionaire buddies see working people as expendable.”