Millions of Americans are living under extreme heat warnings and advisories this week, as some fear staff and funding cuts under the Trump administration could set back the federal response. Extreme heat is the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, and experts say that, historically, the federal government’s approach has been fragmented. “The federal government was playing catch-up, essentially. Unlike other extreme weather events like fire or flooding or hurricanes, nobody owned the issue of heat,” said Kelly Turner, an associate professor of urban planning at UCLA. Turner was tasked to lead a Center of Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities to help communities across the country better plan for blazing temperatures. About a year into that work, she says the Trump administration cut off their federal funding.“That is a huge loss to the communities,” Turner said. “Most cities don’t have a heat hazard response in place, and so we were the group that was going to suggest a template that you could work from to create your own.” The Trump administration also appears to have taken down a first-of-its-kind National Heat Strategy published under the Biden administration. Several heat experts were also reportedly laid off as part of a broader effort to downsize the federal government. “We’ve lost a tremendous amount of intellectual and human capital at the federal level, as well as data sets that have been taken down,” Turner said. “The impact of that will be felt mostly in small communities, rural communities, communities that aren’t as far along as a place like New York or Los Angeles.”The Trump administration didn’t directly respond to questions about specific staff reductions or potential plans to revise the National Heat Strategy. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said, “HHS is fully committed to addressing the urgent public health challenges of extreme heat by protecting vulnerable populations and mitigating health risks. The Department remains focused on delivering timely, science-based interventions to safeguard communities nationwide.”White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers added in an email, “Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on vague climate goals, President Trump’s commonsense policies provide practical solutions like rolling back burdensome regulations to lower energy costs.” As the Trump administration focuses on rolling back regulations, some are raising concerns about the fate of a proposed rule that would set new nationwide workplace safety standards for extreme heat, like requiring a minimum number of breaks and access to water. “Right now, everything is voluntary, so some employers might be doing some of it, but we don’t have a minimum baseline in this country for these practices for employers to adhere to so that we can ensure that workers are not suffering from heat injury, heat illness and fatalities on the job,” said Rebecca Reindel, director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO.The proposed rule has gotten pushback from groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said in a letter earlier this year that the standard “would result in OSHA micromanaging workplaces, imposing unreasonable burdens, and creating confusion as to what employers would be required to do.”A Department of Labor official said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently holding public hearings on the proposed rule.“Once the record on the hearing closes, the department will take everything into consideration and make a decision on how to proceed,” the official said.
Millions of Americans are living under extreme heat warnings and advisories this week, as some fear staff and funding cuts under the Trump administration could set back the federal response.
Extreme heat is the number one cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, and experts say that, historically, the federal government’s approach has been fragmented.
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“The federal government was playing catch-up, essentially. Unlike other extreme weather events like fire or flooding or hurricanes, nobody owned the issue of heat,” said Kelly Turner, an associate professor of urban planning at UCLA.
Turner was tasked to lead a Center of Excellence for Heat Resilient Communities to help communities across the country better plan for blazing temperatures. About a year into that work, she says the Trump administration cut off their federal funding.
“That is a huge loss to the communities,” Turner said. “Most cities don’t have a heat hazard response in place, and so we were the group that was going to suggest a template that you could work from to create your own.”
The Trump administration also appears to have taken down a first-of-its-kind National Heat Strategy published under the Biden administration. Several heat experts were also reportedly laid off as part of a broader effort to downsize the federal government.
“We’ve lost a tremendous amount of intellectual and human capital at the federal level, as well as data sets that have been taken down,” Turner said. “The impact of that will be felt mostly in small communities, rural communities, communities that aren’t as far along as a place like New York or Los Angeles.”
The Trump administration didn’t directly respond to questions about specific staff reductions or potential plans to revise the National Heat Strategy.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said, “HHS is fully committed to addressing the urgent public health challenges of extreme heat by protecting vulnerable populations and mitigating health risks. The Department remains focused on delivering timely, science-based interventions to safeguard communities nationwide.”
White House assistant press secretary Taylor Rogers added in an email, “Instead of wasting taxpayer dollars on vague climate goals, President Trump’s commonsense policies provide practical solutions like rolling back burdensome regulations to lower energy costs.”
As the Trump administration focuses on rolling back regulations, some are raising concerns about the fate of a proposed rule that would set new nationwide workplace safety standards for extreme heat, like requiring a minimum number of breaks and access to water.
“Right now, everything is voluntary, so some employers might be doing some of it, but we don’t have a minimum baseline in this country for these practices for employers to adhere to so that we can ensure that workers are not suffering from heat injury, heat illness and fatalities on the job,” said Rebecca Reindel, director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO.
The proposed rule has gotten pushback from groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said in a letter earlier this year that the standard “would result in OSHA micromanaging workplaces, imposing unreasonable burdens, and creating confusion as to what employers would be required to do.”
A Department of Labor official said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is currently holding public hearings on the proposed rule.
“Once the record on the hearing closes, the department will take everything into consideration and make a decision on how to proceed,” the official said.
