Senate Votes Down Attempt to Cut Cincinnati NIOSH Project Funds

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Brown (D-OH) voted against an effort to pass the so-called "rescission package," which would have slashed the fund that is supposed to pay for construction of Cincinnati's new NIOSH facility by half. Senate Republicans forced a vote on the so-called "rescissions package" on the Senate floor today. The rescission package would have taken back federal dollars intended for a wide range of projects and programs -- including Cincinnati's NIOSH construction -- in order to pay for the $1 trillion deficit created by Republican tax cuts. With Brown's opposition, the package failed on the floor by a vote of 48-50.

"We made a commitment to Cincinnati, and we shouldn't be putting southwest Ohio jobs and economic development at risk to pay for tax cuts that benefit companies shipping American jobs overseas," said Brown.

In May, Brown joined Cincinnati-area workers and business leaders at the proposed NIOSH site as he underscored the importance of jobs and economic impact created by the NIOSH project. Brown called on the Administration to tell Ohio how it will keep its commitment to move forward with the NIOSH project after the fund is cut.

Read Brown's letter to the Administration HERE.
Additional Background:

In 2015, Brown helped secure $110 million in federal funds to advance construction and site consolidation for NIOSH's new facility in Cincinnati. That money is supposed to come from the nonrecurring expense fund (NEF) at the Department of Health and Human Services, which currently has about $500 million for NIOSH and other projects.

Brown has worked to protect that fund from cuts for years in order to ensure the NIOSH construction continues moving forward. And up until now, the project had been proceeding on schedule. In fact, CDC recently solicited bids for a design-build contract. The Administration's rescission package would take $220 million away from the nonrecurring expense fund -- cutting he fund by about half and threatening the future of the project.

As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH is responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related injury and illness. The NIOSH facilities in Cincinnati employ more than 500 Ohioans.

The new construction project will consolidate NIOSH's Cincinnati facilities into one central location to improve and enhance scientific collaboration, as employees conduct research and make recommendations to prevent work-related injury and illness. The funding will also ensure that there are appropriate and adequate research facilities for NIOSH's scientific program and will reduce operating costs by consolidating multiple campuses.

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