Trump wants mining. Federal mine safety workers are on the chopping block.

Federal scientists and engineers working to prevent deadly disasters and the spread of disease in miners could soon lose their jobs, even as President Donald Trump moves to supercharge U.S. production of coal and critical minerals.

More than 570 workers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, are waiting to see if their jobs will remain cut after they were dismissed earlier this year, including about 170 staffers conducting screenings and research to keep mine workers safe.

NIOSH’s mine safety research divisions in Spokane, Washington, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are housed within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and tasked with preventing injury, illness and death in the workplace.

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