Sources report that Elon Musk and his “Department of Government Efficiency” will make their first visit to the Department of Labor on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Labor reporter Kim Kelly writes that “DOL workers have been ordered to give DOGE access to whatever they ask for—or risk termination.” Meanwhile, Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has introduced legislation to repeal the Occupational Safety and Health Act and “abolish” the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This is the third time Biggs has introduced such legislation.
JORDAN BARAB; jbarab@gmail.com
Barab was the OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary from 2009 to 2017. He writes Confined Space, a newsletter about workplace safety and labor.
Barab told the Institute for Public Accuracy: “I’m much less worried about Andy Biggs than I am about Elon Musk. Biggs introduces this bill every session––it’s more of his own personal vendetta. It’s never going to come to a vote with the [minimal] support it has. It’s a messaging bill. It’s not anything real.
“The thing we really have to worry about is Elon and the budget [for OSHA]. Congress is very complicated right now because there are two appropriations bills coming to vote this year: one in March, and one continuing resolution come Oct. 1. Trump will likely propose cuts in OSHA’s budget for 2026, because that is what he will present the budget for, and leave Congress to deal with the 2025 budget. Because Democrats are in the minority now, they will have less sway, but the Senate will still be forced to compromise somewhat on that because of the 60 votes needed for the budget to pass. We don’t know the impact Musk will have on the congressional budget process: that remains to be seen. We saw that he killed the first continuing resolution proposal, and that was before Trump’s inauguration––so we will see what happens on this one. For better or worse, OSHA was not a big part of the continuing resolution; if OSHA is targeted, there will be other fights going on over bigger issues, so it is likely to not get as much attention as it deserves.
“We know that whether or not Trump is in office, Republican administrations don’t issue new [OSHA] standards anymore. There are two concerns. First is enforcement: even under Republican administrations, OSHA has continued to enforce laws, albeit with lower penalties. But Trump could potentially declare that OSHA is not doing any more enforcement. The second concern, which is more likely, is over data that not only OSHA has access to but also the Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. They have an enormous amount of confidential data. OSHA enforces 25 whistleblower laws, and that material is confidential. With Elon in control of the information, workers’ names could be released. OSHA also collects reports of serious incidents in workplaces, including personal information on injuries and hospital records. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does confidential health and safety statistics, but also reporting on inflation and unemployment––things that can affect the stock market. The last person you would want to get a hold of that is Elon Musk. They might even cover up unfavorable statistics if Trump wants the economy to look better than it is. Trump’s sensitivity to the economy leads me to fear that they would hide the statistics or even try to influence them.”