{"id":1040,"date":"2017-05-19T13:57:20","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T17:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=1040"},"modified":"2017-05-19T16:24:00","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T20:24:00","slug":"osha-budget-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2017\/05\/19\/osha-budget-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 Trump Budget Preview: OSHA gets cut, NIOSH gets Disemboweled"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDon’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.\u201d <\/span><\/strong>\u2015 Joe Biden<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If a President or Congress want to dismantle worker protections or other government programs, they don’t have to repeal or change legislation; they can work their damage through the budget process. Slashthe budget of a program you don’t like, and those protections no longer exist. \u00a0Check out the President’s proposed budget in that context.<\/p>\n

\"\"Thanks to the \u00a0The Third Way<\/a>, we have a preview of\u00a0Trump’s 2018 budget proposal — and his priorities. And as we feared, it ain’t good for workplace safety and health, especially research.Last month, we saw Trump’s\u00a0“skinny budget.” Now we’re getting a short peek at\u00a0… the “fat budget?” Or more appropriate for OSHA<\/strong>, the “emaciated budget.” \u00a0The spreadsheet lists OSHA’s\u00a0proposed budget at $543,257,000, \u00a0$9,530,000 less than\u00a0the FY 17 enacted budget<\/a>, or a 1.7% cut. \u00a0We don’t know any of the details, except that the “skinny budget” eliminates OSHA’s $10.5 million Susan Harwood grant program, which could account for the cuts. We also don’t know whether money has been shifted among accounts, for example from Enforcement to Compliance Assistance. Given that OSHA has had a flat, or declining budget since 2010, any further cuts — especially in enforcement — can be devastating for workers. \u00a0So get ready to put your lobbying shoes on.<\/p>\n

NIOSH<\/strong>, on the other hand, is getting whacked — a 40% cut, from $335.2 in FY 2017 down to $200 million in 2018. \u00a0The is a particularly hard blow for workplace safety and health research, especially on top of the demise of the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0MSHA’s<\/strong> proposed budget is $375,172 \u2013 a bit more than in the FY 2017 omnibus, and just about what they had in FY 2016. The Chemical Safety Board<\/strong>, slated for elimination in the “skinny budget” is budgeted for $8.6 million. This is down from $11 million in FY 2017. It’s not clear whether the Trump administration has changed its mind about eliminating the agency, or if the money is being provided for finishing ongoing operations and winding down the agency. (Funerals are expensive.)<\/p>\n

For those interested in how the rest of the DOL budget<\/strong> looks, the answer is “not good.” You may remember that the “skinny budget”\u00a0proposes cutting\u00a0$2.5\u00a0billion or 21% from the\u00a0Labor Department<\/a>\u2018s budget. \u00a0Most of those cuts seem to be coming from Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding (WIOA), the government’s main program that provides job training. WIOA would be cut from\u00a0$3.34 billion in FY 2017 to $1.18 billion in FY 2018. Job Corps would also receive a cut. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), which enforces non-descrimination laws and regulations for federal contractors, \u00a0would receive a 15% cut, reflecting this administration’s disdain for civil rights. (There are also rumors that Trump wants to eliminate OFCCP, folding its responsibilities into the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.) Surprisingly, the Wage and Hour Division seems slated for a slight increase.<\/p>\n

What Happens Now?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The good news is that it’s very unlikely that the ultimate budget will look anything like Trump’s proposed budget. The bad news, given the make-up of Congress, is that the final budget could look even worse. And we haven’t yet seen any riders that could prohibit OSHA from spending its money on any programs or protections that Congress decides it doesn’t like.<\/p>\n

But if enough pressure is put on Congress, the final budget could also look better. That will be up to you.<\/p>\n

Secretary Acosta will be testifying on the President’s proposed budget before the Senate on June 8. I haven’t heard a date for his House hearing yet. \u00a0There will then be long deliberations in the House and the Senate, and eventually both Houses of Congress will have to come up with a budget that they agree on. Because 60 votes are needed in the Senate, and there are some Republicans who are unlikely to vote for any conceivable budget, Democratic support will be needed in both the House and the Senate. The good news is that that give the Dems quite a bit of leverage. The bad news is that workplace safety and health issues are so small that it’s unlikely they would be important enough to stop an otherwise acceptable budget bill from going forward. \u00a0 And again, that’s where you come in.<\/p>\n

Since sometime this side of the stone age, Congress has not been able to complete a budget by the end of the fiscal year, September 30. This year promises to be no exception. \u00a0So, there will likely be a short term “continuing resolution,” possibly until December or into the new year. That, of course, is unless the President’s wish comes true and we have a government shutdown (which would be in October, not September).<\/p>\n

\n

either elect more Republican Senators in 2018 or change the rules now to 51%. Our country needs a good “shutdown” in September to fix mess!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n