Policy Week in Review – June 20, 2025

Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on Labor Nominees; Announces Committee Votes

On June 18, 2025, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on four nominees for a number of positions: (a) Jonathan Berry, to serve as the solicitor of labor; (b) Andrew Rogers, to serve as DOL Wage and Hour administrator; (c) David Keeling, to serve as DOL assistant secretary for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and (d) Andrea Lucas, to serve as a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. If confirmed, Lucas will continue to serve as acting chair of the agency. 

Later that day, Committee Chair Bill Cassidy announced that each of the four nominees at that morning’s hearing would be voted upon in a markup by the committee on Thursday, June 26. At that markup the committee will also vote on Daniel Aronowitz to serve as the assistant secretary of labor for the Employee benefits Security Administration; Anthony D’Esposito, to serve DOL inspector general; and Jeremiah Workman to serve as assistant secretary of labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training at the Department of Labor.

OSHA Convenes Public Hearing on Heat Standard

On June 16, 2025, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) convened an informal public hearing on its “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings” proposed rule, which was issued on August 30, 2024. The hearing will continue through July 2, 2025, and OSHA will take comments on the agency’s proposed standard for heat exposure. The standard was first promulgated by the Biden administration, and the Trump administration has not yet made clear what its intentions with respect to a potential heat standard are. Numerous witnesses representing employers, organized labor, trade associations, and others are expected to provide testimony to the agency.