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In two short months, the new presidential administration has initiated tremendous changes across many areas of the federal government. Some changes, directly or indirectly, will affect (or are already affecting) AIHA. The impact of other changes is not immediately apparent, and some may not survive legal challenges that will take time to play out. Since advocacy is a key pillar of AIHA’s strategic plan, I want to briefly describe how AIHA is responding to developments such as President Trump’s executive orders on federal grants and DEI, and recent changes on our staff.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The executive order on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs has had perhaps the most immediate impact on AIHA. Shortly after the executive order was published, our legal counsel advised us that AIHA, as a recipient of federal grants, was potentially exposed to liability. We have since made changes to the language of AIHA policies and on certain web pages, archived a few other pages, and removed some optional questions from our “open call” forms that potential volunteers complete when expressing interest in serving on advisory groups or being nominated for the Board. Our two federal grants, from CDC/NIOSH and the U.S. Department of Transportation, which provided modest revenue to the association (most funding was passed through to contractors doing the work), are ending this year and will not be renewed.

I want to stress that AIHA remains committed to the principles of DEI. For us, DEI has always been about fairness, inclusion, and equitable representation based on merit—that is, ensuring that the most qualified people have opportunities to serve in leadership positions. It has not been and is not about “checking boxes,” a practice this term has often been associated with.

We will continue to support our Minority and PR(IH)DE Special Interest Groups and our Women in IH and Social Concerns Committees, and we will continue our outreach to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other colleges to maintain a strong pipeline of OEHS professionals.

Tiers of Advocacy

Following the departures of Government Relations Director Mark Ames and Advocacy Associate Riley Cagle, AIHA retained the What Works Institute (WWI) for both federal and state-level advocacy. This arrangement is intended to be temporary until a new government relations professional joins staff. WWI has an experienced team of CIH and other OEHS professionals, which offers us specialized expertise in addressing our advocacy priorities.

Our advocacy work occurs across multiple tiers:

Broad-based STEM society policies. AIHA is working with our allies to coordinate responses to recent developments that could have broad implications for OEHS and STEM organizations. For example, we’ve signed on to letters calling for Congress to protect U.S. scientific research and integrity, increase funding for OSHA, and preserve public access to federal data. We’ve also joined many organizations in expressing support for researchers, educators, and academics. These letters are collected in the government relations section of the AIHA website.

We are partnering with the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and the National Safety Council (NSC) to educate policymakers on the importance of funding OSHA, NIOSH, and MSHA, with emphasis on protecting the NIOSH Education and Research Centers. The ERCs are a major source of future OEHS professionals.

Additional monitoring of government actions occurs through my participation in a “Science CEOs” group. This group represents more than 100 societies and meets weekly to catch up on key federal affairs that affect STEM associations like AIHA. Recent discussions have addressed potential new taxes for nonprofit organizations and the public perception of trust in higher education and its impact on science research.

Federal regulatory agency funding and general OEHS issues. We are relying more on the Intersociety Forum (ISF), a coalition of more than twenty OEHS associations, to support appropriations for OEHS-related federal agencies (for example, OSHA, MSHA, and NIOSH) and respond to developments like the introduction of the NOSHA Act, which would eliminate federal OSHA. A recent report from ISF, “Driving Business Growth and Profitability through Modern Occupational Environmental, Health and Safety Practices,” is available for use when talking to elected officials about the importance of occupational health and safety to your communities. You can download the report from the AIHA website (PDF).

AIHA public policy priorities. The most recent list of AIHA’s public policy priorities as determined by a survey of AIHA members was approved by the Board of Directors earlier this year:

1. preventing heat-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths
2. disaster preparedness, response, and recovery
3. workforce development/OEHS professional pipeline
4. noise/occupational hearing protection
5. Toxic Substances Control Act
6. indoor environmental quality
7. vulnerable, contingent, and temporary workers
8. AI and automation in OEHS
9. professional title protection
10. child labor protections

AIHA will focus on the top five priorities. We anticipate working with ASSP and NSC on many of these issues.

Most of our efforts have focused on the federal government; bandwidth constraints limit our ability to engage on the state level. However, we have submitted comments on certain issues that were the subject of recent state activity including protections for nursing home workers in Minnesota and heat stress standards in Maryland and New York.

Extra Scrutiny

Given their pace and scope, the recent changes across government require extra scrutiny and analysis. AIHA will continue to monitor these developments and issue timely reports to members through multiple communication channels. Those who wish to keep track of executive orders on their own can do so through services provided by the Federal Register and the law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld LLP.