Warren, Omar Push OSHA To Keep Respirator Safety Rules

More than 5,000 Americans die every year from respiratory diseases linked to their jobs. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ilhan Omar cited that figure in a letter urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to drop its plan to loosen respirator rules. They joined by Senators Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker, Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib and Jasmine Crockett, and over 20 other congressional Democrats.

The group addressed the letter to David Keeling, the OSHA assistant secretary and former executive at UPS and Amazon. They argued that the proposed changes would reduce employer obligations to supply respirators to workers exposed to substances including lead, asbestos, formaldehyde and inorganic arsenic. The letter also noted that the proposal would end the requirement for employers to provide medical evaluations for workers using certain types of respirators.

Warren and her colleagues described the Department of Labor’s stance as endangering workers while prioritizing the interests of unscrupulous employers. They pointed to rising rates of silicosis and coal workers’ pneumoconiosis in recent years. The letter attributed these increases to the use of artificial stone in countertops and greater silica exposure in coal seams.

The lawmakers criticized the agency’s process for moving quickly. OSHA issued the proposal in July 2025 without providing required evidence or requesting necessary information. A procedural hearing took place in August during a congressional recess, leaving no members of Congress in Washington to discuss the rules. The signatories wrote that most OSHA standards take years to move through these steps, yet these respirator rules moved through them in a matter of months.

Opposition to the plan includes unions and medical experts. The Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, National Nurses United and North America’s Building Trades Unions all cautioned against the pullback. The Associated General Contractors of America stated that quality safety regulations save contractors money in the long run. They argued that any deregulatory benefits would be outweighed by potential liability down the line.

The respirator proposal is part of a wider deregulatory push at OSHA under the current administration. The Department of Labor proposed more than 60 deregulatory rule changes last year. Republicans have also proposed cutting OSHA’s budget by more than 8% for fiscal year 2027. In 2025, OSHA inspections fell by 20%, and the agency lost 223 full-time employees to buyouts and early retirements.

OSHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.