Warren and Omar Demand OSHA Revert Respirator Mask Proposal

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Ilhan Omar led a group of Democratic lawmakers in urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to abandon its draft changes to respirator regulations. The coalition sent a letter to OSHA Assistant Secretary David Keeling, a former executive at UPS and Amazon, to challenge the proposed rule revisions.

The draft rules would reduce employer obligations for supplying respirators to workers exposed to substances including lead, asbestos, formaldehyde, and inorganic arsenic. The letter states the agency is also seeking to end the requirement for medical evaluations for employees who use specific types of respirators on the job.

In the letter, the lawmakers argued that the Department of Labor is prioritizing the interests of "unscrupulous employers" over American workers. They cited data showing that more than 5,000 Americans die annually from occupation-related respiratory diseases. Recent increases in silicosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis have been linked to artificial stone countertops and increased silica exposure in coal seams.

The signatories criticized the agency’s procedural timeline. OSHA issued the proposal in July 2025 without providing required evidence. The group noted that the agency held a procedural hearing in August during a congressional recess when lawmakers were absent. The letter stated that most OSHA standards take years to move through these steps, whereas these respirator rules moved through the process in a matter of months.

Senators Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker joined the letter, along with Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, and Jasmine Crockett. More than 20 other congressional Democrats also signed the document. Opposition to the plan has extended to unions and medical experts. The Associated General Contractors of America stated that quality safety regulations save contractors money in the long run.

The group described the respirator proposal as part of a larger deregulatory effort at OSHA. The Trump administration proposed more than 60 deregulatory rule changes in the Department of Labor last year. Republicans have 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 regarding the letter or the proposed rule changes.