Washington — A group of House Democrats say they’re alarmed about potential office closures at OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
In a May 8 letter to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, and the 14 other Democrats on the committee write: “Closing field offices for agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, and the Wage and Hour Division will restrict the public’s access to DOL’s services, severely limit the geographic coverage of inspectors’ and investigators’ enforcement activities, and further strain an already resource-strapped department.
“The forthcoming harm to workers by widespread office closures will only be compounded by the department’s plans to decimate its already meager staff. The department is historically understaffed compared to the breadth of its jurisdiction. … [OSHA] has so few inspectors it would take 185 years for the agency to visit every workplace within in its jurisdiction just once.”
In March, the Department of Government Efficiency listed 18 OSHA offices among its “lease terminations,” but none of them appeared on the DOGE website as of May 9. The 18 OSHA offices are also still listed on the agency’s website.
Among those offices were Baton Rouge, LA; Little Rock, AR; and Oklahoma City, along with others in Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
The Associated Press reported March 13 that those lease terminations could begin this summer, but “that does not mean all the locations will close. … Agencies would have to either negotiate new leases or move elsewhere if they remain open. Agencies are still figuring out what to do.”
Seven MSHA offices are still on the list, including three in Kentucky. The others are in Rock View, WV; Mount Pleasant, PA; Longview, TX; and Craig, CO.
The lawmakers also want to know about potential DOL plans to “stop enforcing some regulations altogether.”
“A news report indicates that the Trump administration is aiming to target multiple DOL regulations … including regulations to prevent miners from having their lungs shredded by crystalline silica dust and to guarantee paid sick leave for federal contract workers,” the letter states. “The White House is even directing agencies to repeal pro-worker regulations by circumventing the Administrative Procedure Act (of 1946), which mandates public accountability through a ‘notice and comment’ period.”
While seeking answers to previous inquiries, the group asks DOL to respond to other requests and questions:
- Are there plans to restructure and reorganize the department? If so, provide the following information:
- Explain the decision-making process and rationale for the reorganization of DOL, including how the roles and divisions being eliminated are decided.
- Provide detailed analysis on the impact of the reorganization on the enforcement activity and services conducted by DOL, as required under federal statutes.
- Provide all documents and communications – including downloads, copies or screenshots of any messages on any digital communications platform – since Jan. 20 related to the recission and nonenforcement of DOL regulations.
- Provide an unaltered and unredacted copy of DOL’s agreement with DOGE, as referenced in a recent news report, that outlines protocols between the department and DOGE employees, as well as the transfer of funds to DOGE for its services.
- Has the department received funding requests from its Office of Inspector General for additional staff and resources to carry out its duties to root out waste, fraud and abuse? If so, has DOL approved or denied additional funding for OIG?
“In keeping with the committee’s oversight responsibility, we request your responses by no later than May 15,” the lawmakers write.
