Senate subcommittee approves OSHA budget cuts

Washington – OSHA faces a 5 percent budget cut as part of an appropriations bill approved June 23 by a Senate subcommittee.

The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee is proposing to reduce OSHA’s budget, currently at $552.8 million, to $524 million in fiscal year 2016.

The Senate subcommittee’s proposed cuts come a week after its House counterpart approved a budget that would reduce OSHA’s FY 2016 funding by 3 percent. The Senate Appropriations Committee will consider the full $153.2 billion appropriations bill on June 25.

Such spending reductions can have negative repercussions for workers, committee Democrats warn. “This would reduce OSHA’s ability to enforce the Occupational Safety and Health Act, resulting in thousands of fewer investigations of potential workplace health and safety issues affecting tens of thousands of workers,” a press release from the minority party states.