| |  | The Lead Brief | — With assistance from The Post’s Lena H. Sun and David Ovalle. It’s another week of whiplash for federal employees and organizations on the receiving end of government funds, as the Trump administration has moved to reinstate some laid-off worker safety researchers while also slashing grants meant for mental health and addiction care. WORKER SAFETY STAFF REINSTATED — The administration reinstated more than 500 jobs at the worker safety division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday night, Lena reports for Health Brief. The little-known National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, researches and formulates recommendations on how to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses — including studying lung diseases in mine workers and identifying ways for people in jobs surrounded by loud noises to prevent hearing loss. On Tuesday night, NIOSH staff began receiving notices that their layoff notices were rescinded, multiple sources at the CDC told Lena. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the reinstatements. → Last year Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. placed 90 percent of its 1,000-person workforce on leave as part of a massive restructuring of the federal health agencies, with said layoffs later paused by federal courts. The cuts affected staff that evaluate the risk of workers’ exposure to toxic chemicals while on the job, as well as scientists who come up with guidance for workers to avoid illness, injury or death. Some workers have returned, including nearly 200 who screen coal miners for black lung; they were ordered reinstated by a federal judge in May, though much of the staff has been in a state of uncertainty ever since. MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION FUNDING SLASHED Meanwhile, David has a new story about the administration slashing programs funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, in red and blue states nationwide. Hundreds of nonprofits began receiving letters late Tuesday night saying that their grants had been cut because their programs “no longer effectuate” the agency’s priorities. The letters, however, didn’t explain how their programs went against the administration’s priorities, said Jonah Cunningham, who leads the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors. Although there isn’t a precise figure for the cuts, they appeared to strike at a block of grants totaling nearly $2 billion, Cunningham said, estimating that more than 2,000 grants may have been cut. These grants fund programs that address addiction and mental health treatment, homelessness, suicide prevention, and workforce development. → The Trump administration has prioritized a law enforcement approach, while prohibiting certain funding for organizations that work to reduce the harms of drugs, David reports. More details on both of those developments below. But let’s just zoom out real quick: The debate over health policy and agency funding levels can impact the grants agencies make and the number of people they — the and urgency is only about to heighten. The moves on staffing reinstatements and grant cuts come as Congress rushes to advance several spending bills that fund government agencies. The government will shut down after Jan. 30 if lawmakers don’t pass agency spending bills or a shorter stopgap measure temporarily extending funding. And one of the largest portions of government spending — the bill dictating funding levels for HHS — is still being negotiated. Expect more experimentation: As the administration enters its second year, it continues to try to make its mark on health policy — even if some of that has to be rolled back. A federal judge recently ruled that HHS had to restore nearly $12 million in grant funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics. | 
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