Gallego calls Biden administration ‘all talk, no action’ on extreme heat

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), the Democratic nominee for Senate in the Grand Canyon State, excoriated the Biden administration Thursday for what he called insufficient federal support on extreme heat.

Gallego issued the statement the day after Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra called extreme heat a “public health crisis” in Phoenix before meeting with Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D). The Biden administration in July proposed heat protections that would mandate employers provide indoor or shaded rest areas, drinking water and breaks once temperatures surpass 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Once again, the Administration is all talk, no action when it comes to extreme heat in Arizona — calling on Arizonans to do more yet refusing to take an active role or acknowledging the work that Arizona’s federal leaders, including myself, have already done,” Gallego said. “When hurricanes or tornadoes hit, federal officials offer resources, but with heat they just offer advice.”

The Arizona Democrat is a longtime proponent of federal worker protections for the effects of extreme heat, including co-sponsoring a bill to require a permanent Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard. He has also introduced legislation that would add it to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) major disaster qualifying events.

A spokesperson for the lawmaker’s office specifically clarified Gallego was calling for the passage of his legislation, but also pointed to past comments by FEMA officials indicating the agency already has the power to add extreme heat to its list of qualifying events.”

A Labor Department standard for heat protections has been in the works since 2021 and have been vocally opposed by local business groups. Earlier this summer, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation banning local and municipal governments from imposing their own standards. A federal standard would supersede any such laws.

Gallego said at the time that the proposed rules “will save lives in Arizona,” and he praised FEMA’s inclusion of extreme heat in its latest round of Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities funding, saying the announcement “proves that FEMA can act on matters of extreme heat, and I will continue pushing them to do more.”

Extreme heat kills an estimated 1,220 people a year in the U.S.

In a statement to The Hill, a FEMA spokesperson said, “As with all severe weather events, FEMA works with communities on a case-by-case basis. If there were to be a scenario where an extreme heat incident potentially exceeded state and local capacity, and a request for either an emergency or major disaster declaration was submitted, it could be considered and if approved it could reimburse the state for eligible costs … [b]ut generally, compared to other hazards, the response costs related to extreme heat incidents are generally low.”

— Updated August 9 at 12:09 p.m.