Federal workplace safety workers say gutting their agency will lead to preventable deaths on the job

In a letter obtained by NBC News, current and former National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health employees say the wide-scale reduction will lead to injuries and deaths.

More than 100 current and former employees of a federal agency charged with ensuring workplace safety warn that American workers face a greater risk of death and injury on the job as the Trump administration slashes the organization’s ranks.

In a letter to Congress, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health employees say that the agency’s mission is at risk due to the administration’s actions over the past several months.

“Without us, more workers will suffer preventable deaths, illnesses, and injuries,” the current and former NIOSH employees wrote in the letter, obtained exclusively by NBC News ahead of it being sent to members of Congress.