Baumgartner Renews Call to Reopen NIOSH Spokane Lab, Citing Successful Reversal in West Virginia

WASHINGTON- Today, Congressman Michael Baumgartner (WA-5) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., asking him to reconsider the recent closure of the NIOSH Spokane Research Laboratory—a facility long regarded as a national leader in mining and occupational safety research.

This renewed outreach follows a previous letter from Baumgartner in April, reflecting ongoing concern over the decision’s long-term impact on worker safety and domestic resource production in Washington and across the western United States.

“I understand and support the broader effort to make government operations more efficient,” said Congressman Baumgartner. “However, that effort should not come at the expense of worker safety or the loss of essential research capacity. The work conducted at the Spokane Lab plays an important role in protecting workers and advancing our national priorities.”

In his letter to Secretary Kennedy, Baumgartner referenced the recent reopening of the NIOSH Morgantown facility in West Virginia, which had similarly been closed and subjected to a reduction-in-force (RIF). Baumgartner is hopeful Secretary Kennedy will reopen the NIOSH Spokane Facility.

Baumgartner also cited President Trump’s March 20th Executive Order, which emphasizes the importance of domestic mineral production for national security. He underscored that shuttering a facility like Spokane’s, which contributes directly to the safe and efficient development of domestic resources, runs counter to that directive.

You can find Baumgartner’s letter from April 14, 2025 here.

You can find Baumgartner’s letter from May 20, 2025 here.