'Staffing Cuts That Risk More Worker Lives': Ilhan Omar Rips Trump Admin Over OSHA And NIOSH Cuts

Forbes Breaking News

During a House Education & Workforce Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke about the Trump administration's plan to cut funding for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Transcript

00:00Thank you, Chairman, and thank you once again to all of our witnesses for speaking with us today.

00:09Today's discussion has made one thing abundantly clear.

00:13The future of workplace safety depends not on weakening protections,

00:18but on strengthening partnerships between OSHA, employers, and workers.

00:23Compliance assistance should be about empowering everyone to work together

00:28to identify hazards before they cause harm

00:31and not about providing loopholes that allow dangerous conditions to persist.

00:38What we have seen from the Trump administration is a systematic effort

00:43to deregulate, defund, and dismantle the very institutions that keep workers safe.

00:49And the human cost of this deregulatory agenda will be devastating.

00:54From slashing capacity to NIOSH, to gutting OSHA enforcement, to zeroing out the Chemical Safety Board,

01:05this administration's reckless decisions would lead to more deaths, more injuries,

01:11and more families broken by preventable tragedies.

01:15We need strong, enforceable standards, not voluntary programs that lack accountability or budget

01:24and staffing cuts that risk more worker lives.

01:28Good employers understand that safety is both a moral duty and an essential for business success.

01:35The bills introduced by Ranking Member Scott, myself, and some of my other colleagues,

01:41like the Protecting American Workers Act and the Heat Illness Prevention Act,

01:47offer practical solutions to close coverage gaps and strengthen enforcement

01:51and address deadly risks like heat stress.

01:56As we conclude, I urge all members of this committee to remember the stakes.

02:02Every regulation we weaken, every resource we cut,

02:06means more workers at risk of injury or death.

02:09Every worker deserves to return home safe and healthy, regardless of the industry or job.

02:17So let us commit to building a safer workplace through robust standards,

02:24effective enforcement, and stronger partnerships.

02:28Because no worker's life should ever be threatened as expendable.

02:32Thank you, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Category

Transcript

Recommended