{"id":581,"date":"2017-04-07T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/?p=581"},"modified":"2017-04-07T23:27:51","modified_gmt":"2017-04-08T03:27:51","slug":"talk-to-your-representatives-about-osha-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordanbarab.com\/confinedspace\/2017\/04\/07\/talk-to-your-representatives-about-osha-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"OSHA Budget: Talk to your Representatives While They’re Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Now<\/strong> is the time for all good activists to come to the aid of working people.<\/p>\n

Funding for the Federal Government runs out on April 28. \u00a0This means that before that date, if we are to avoid a government shutdown, the Senate and the House of Representatives will have to pass — and the President will have to sign — a new bill funding the government through the rest of Fiscal Year 2017. \u00a0FY 17 ends on September 30. So far, for FY 17, the government has been running on a Continuing Resolution<\/strong>\u00a0(CR) — agencies are pretty much working off of the same budget that they had last year.<\/p>\n

We previously discussed the President’s “Skinny Budget” proposal<\/a> for FY 2018, which begins on October 1. But there are a number of important OSHA programs that are at risk right now, through the rest of FY 17, and only you can save these programs. The good news is that Congress is heading out of town next week for their two-week State Work Periods. That means they want to hear from you, their constituents, about what you think is important. If they are brave enough, they will even hold public meetings. \u00a0There are obviously a lot of important issues that Congress is dealing with right now (the fate of our democracy, the fate of the earth, etc.) — all the more reason why the voices defending worker safety need to be heard loud and clear.<\/strong> Congress\u00a0must\u00a0act on the FY 17 budget as soon as they get back, so the next two weeks are critical.<\/p>\n

What are the issues and what are the messages?<\/p>\n

Background<\/h2>\n

It’s hard to tell what they are thinking on the Hill right now. They have to move fast on the FY 17 budget\u00a0when they come back or risk a government shut down and the Republicans can’t pass a budget without some Democratic support.<\/p>\n

Budget Numbers<\/h4>\n

The White House has requested a $18 billion cut in the FY 17 budget to pay for building THE WALL and increase defense spending. \u00a0 Democrats have lined up pretty solidly against funding THE WALL using 2017 money, but there are some strongly pro-defense spending Democrats.<\/p>\n

It’s quite possible\u00a0that there will be a proposal for an “across-the-board” cut in the budget — for example a percent cut on every budget item to pay for THE WALL or defense. \u00a0In terms of specific cuts, the only thing we have to go on are the FY17 proposals put forth by the Republican-controlled Senate and House Appropriations Committees last year and proposals from the Trump administration. Needless to say, they are not good.<\/p>\n

OSHA<\/span>: Lowlights in the House include complete elimination of the Harwood Grant program and a 7 percent ($15 million) cut in enforcement. The Senate, on the other hand, leaves Harwood and enforcement alone, but cuts 10 percent ($2 million) out of standards. Compliance assistance, on the other hand, receives a significant increase in both budgets.<\/p>\n

MSHA<\/span>: Both House and Senate chopped\u00a0MSHA’s enforcement budget, with a draconian 11% cut in coal, as well as metal\/non-metal in the House and “only” a 3% cut for both enforcement items in the Senate. \u00a0The Senate also proposes to cut MSHA’s standards program by 5%.<\/p>\n

NIOSH<\/span>: Trump administration has proposed to cut NIOSH’s FY 17 budget by $100 million by eliminating its\u00a0new\u00a0research grants and the Education and Research Program<\/p>\n

Riders<\/h4>\n

Aside from the actual budget numbers, we have to worry about poison pill “riders<\/strong>.” Riders are language added to the budget that prohibit an agency from spending money on a specific item. For example, while it would be a long, difficult process to use the regulatory process to repeal the Silica standard, \u00a0Congress could simply add a rider to the OSHA Appropriations bill forbidding OSHA\u00a0from spending any money to enforce the standard.<\/p>\n

What is to be done?<\/h2>\n

Senate and House members need to receive a strong message. If you live in a district or state with members on the Appropriations Committees<\/a>, your voice is especially important:<\/p>\n