Senate Democrats are raising concerns over whether the Trump administration will provide adequate funding for OSHA, given prior Republican lawmakers’ attempts to slash the agency’s budget, pressing Keith Sonderling on the issue at his confirmation hearing to be Labor Department (DOL) deputy secretary.
Several members of California OSHA’s (Cal/OSHA) standards board and labor representatives are strongly criticizing a bill pending in Congress that would eliminate federal OSHA, charging such a move would be disastrous for workers across the country and weaken state protections even in states that have their own regulatory programs such as the Golden State.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is retaining two EPA chemical assessment programs on its “high risk list” of programs susceptible to waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse, finding that its combined ratings of the programs that include assessments of chemical risks to workers remain “unchanged” from 2023.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has approved President Donald Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR) to head the Labor Department (DOL), clearing the way for a floor vote as other nominees that will oversee OSHA await their Senate reviews.
House Democrats are pressing the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) for details on staffing cuts and funding holds at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to evaluate how these cuts may affect the agency’s role in supporting worker safety and compensation programs.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Labor Department (DOL), is pledging to review a host of OSHA rules, including a Biden-era proposal setting safety standards for emergency responders as well as a plan to address workplace violence in healthcare settings.
President Donald Trump’s nomination of David Keeling to head OSHA is an indication that the agency will continue to enforce existing standards and will likely continue to address hazards under its General Duty Clause authority although it may seek changes to several Biden-era standards, experts say.
House Democrats are raising alarm over the Labor Department’s (DOL) removal of documents from OSHA’s website, expressing concern about possible destruction of documents and DOL efforts to hide valuable information from the public.
President Donald Trump has nominated David Keeling, who has held occupational health and safety roles at Amazon and UPS, to become the new chief of OSHA, while selecting Wayne Palmer, who held Labor Department (DOL) positions in the first Trump administration, to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
Russell Vought, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to again head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is defending his plans for a dramatic overhaul of key federal budget, regulatory and workforce practices at OSHA and other agencies.