A group of U.S. senators issued a letter to Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Keeling, outlining their concerns about new data showing a significant drop in workplace safety investigations and fines.
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) released new data revealing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration performed 20% fewer inspections and issued 42% fewer fines for severe workplace violations in 2025.
The letter urged both federal agencies to answer questions “regarding the decline in OSHA enforcement actions, and the Department’s recent attempts to roll back safety rules — including those that protect workers from leading causes of death on the job.”
An independent analysis of OSHA enforcement actions during the first nine months of the Trump administration by policy resource center Good Jobs First supported data shared with Senator Warren’s office, finding that the agency brought 35 percent fewer cases than the same period in previous administrations.
It also found that OSHA imposed just $94 million in penalties, 47% lower compared to the first nine months of the last 17 years.
“If employers know that they are unlikely to face hefty fines, they may be less likely to adhere to safety standards that keep American workers safe in their places of employment,” the lawmakers warned.
The senators demanded critical information on the deregulatory actions that includes the elimination of the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s (MSHA) authority, loosened respiratory requirements, and limiting OSHA’s ability to hold workplaces accountable for unsafe conditions by March 4, 2026, including answering whether OSHA has directed inspectors to reduce the number of inspections, citations issued for workplace violations, or reduce citations for a certain type of violation.
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