Dems to OSHA: Don’t scrap the heat rule because of Trump

By Ariel Wittenberg | 01/16/2025 01:44 PM EST

The agency’s first-ever draft rule to protect workers from rising temperatures is in limbo as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take control.

A worker marks pavement on a road project as temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Lenexa, Kansas, last year.

A worker marks pavement on a road project as temperatures topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Lenexa, Kansas, last year. Charlie Riedel/AP

Democrats are making their case for a national heat standard days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

In comments to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, state attorneys general and members of Congress defended the agency’s proposed rule to protect workers from the deadly effects of heat waves. It’s unclear if the first-ever rule would be finalized under Trump, who has denigrated efforts to address climate change.

One letter from 16 attorneys generals names a number of people who were killed on the job by extreme heat.

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“While nothing can be done to bring these workers back, OSHA can protect these types of needless heat-related deaths in the future by requiring employers to take simple and affordable steps — such as providing cool drinking water and rest breaks — to protect workers from the dangers of extreme heat,” said the letter led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

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